Production of Fe-magnesite by indirect carbonation of peridotite and its use as a partial substitute for fresh cement in concrete manufacture

Project description

This is an exploratory project to optimize the laboratory production of Fe-magnesite by indirect carbonation of peridotite, and thus evaluate its use as a partial substitute for "fresh" cement in concrete manufacture. The aim of this multidisciplinary experimental project is to recover industrial CO2 by mineralization, i.e. by transforming CO2 (gas) into carbonate (solid), in particular anhydrous Mg carbonates (e.g. magnesite and dolomite), as these are the most chemically stable and can be used as additives, supplements and/or (partial) substitutes in building materials. In this context, Fe-magnesite will be synthesized in the laboratory by indirect carbonation of a peridotite (from the Massif Central), a method already established at ISTerre but which needs to be optimized in terms of temperature and synthesis duration. The synthesized carbonate (Fe-magnesite) will then be used as a cement substitute (up to 10%) in the manufacture of concrete. Mechanical tests on sample cores will be carried out to determine the impact of this substitution on Young’s modulus and compressive strength, two fundamental mechanical properties for the design of civil engineering structures.