Time evolution of the mineral carbonation of ceramic bricks in a simulated pilot plant using a common clay as sealing material at superficial conditions

Abstract Carbon dioxide is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas having increased around 40% from the preindustrial period. Technological proposals including carbon capture and storage procedures, especially the mineral carbonation of CO2, have been evaluated to prevent or reduce carbon dioxide emission. This research explores the possibility for CO2 sequestration on ceramic brick materials. A pilot-scale reaction chamber has been designed to mimic the carbonation process in an abandoned quarry. The filling materials are ceramic bricks and other construction with materials. The rubble is covered with common clay to seal the reaction sites. Bricks are composed of quartz, diopside, wollastonite and orthoclase, and minor anhydrite. The common clay (marl) contains calcite, quartz, illite, smectite, and kaolinite. Room temperature reaction were conducted at 0.5 bar constant pressure, 4:1 solid/water. The reaction time was 5, 7, 9 and 12 months. With the CO2 treatment, wollastonite, diopside, and anhydrite were practically destroyed at 12 months and calcite precipitated as a new phase in the bricks carbonation. With increased reaction time macro- and meso-porosity decreased. The micro- and nano-porosity increased due to closuere of bigger pores because of carbonate precipitation. Calcite increased in the common clay with reaction time near the top of the reaction vessel. It can be linked to the observed migration of moisture from the bricks to clay layers with the transport of carbonic acid and Ca ions for subsequent precipitation of calcite. The pilot investigation supports the proportion that brick waste can be used to sequester carbon.