Abstract
Carbonation in concrete is a natural chemical process by which atmospheric CO2 reacts with calcium oxide in the Ca(OH)2 and CSH phases in hydrated cement paste to form CaCO3. The carbonation rate in the atmosphere is too slow for laboratory testing, and therefore, it is usually accelerated by using relatively higher CO2 concentrations. However, there exists some disagreement as to what CO2 concentration, humidity and temperature should be specified when conducting an accelerated carbonation test. In this study, samples of hydrated cement paste were carbonated at different CO2 concentrations, and analysed using the x-ray diffraction technique. The results show that the morphology of CaCO3 formed at higher CO2 concentrations is different from that of CaCO3 formed at natural concentrations. It should be recognized that the diffusion coefficient measured at higher concentrations will not be exactly the same as that from naturally carbonating concrete due to the formation of these morphologically different products.,Article,Published.