Negative carbon concrete for achieving next generation of sustainable and durable modular integrated construction (MIC): A review

Abstract

Sustainable construction is currently in much demand as construction industry produces a huge amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), exacerbating global warming. Modular integrated construction (MiC) is set to become a prominent solution to achieving the “carbon neutrality” initiative in Hong Kong, offering high productive efficiency. The concept of “low carbon construction” is proposed by the use of low carbon construction materials and the optimization of project management. However, there remains great potential in the use of these methods in reducing carbon footprint during the design and construction process. This paper firstly reviews possible pathways to reducing the embodied carbon of reinforced concrete. A novel concept known as “negative carbon concrete”, which is potentially achieved by combining CO2 mineralization – the natural carbonation of concrete with other low-carbon construction materials – is proposed. The durability performance of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bar-reinforced concrete can be improved by concrete carbonation. The application of negative carbon concrete in MiC is discussed from material-level to urban-level. Analysis indicates that negative carbon concrete may be used to achieve next-generation sustainable and durable MiC.