Enhancing cementitious materials with carbon black: a comprehensive review

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a comprehensive overview of carbon black as an SCM, highlighting research gaps in dispersion and microstructural interactions.

🏢実務担当者:Offers insights into using waste-derived carbon black to reduce cement's carbon footprint while maintaining or improving concrete performance.

🏛政策担当者:Suggests potential for circular economy policies that valorize waste tires in construction materials, contributing to emissions reduction targets.

Abstract The construction industry faces growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, with cement production contributing approximately 7% of global CO₂ emissions. This review explores the integration of carbon black (CB), particularly pyrolyzed CB from waste tires, as a sustainable supplementary cementitious material (SCM) to improve both the environmental and mechanical performance of cementitious composites. The review discusses the physical and chemical characteristics of CB, including its particle size, surface area, porosity, and crystallographic structure, and their implications for concrete behavior. CB incorporation influences fresh properties by increasing water demand and reducing workability, although combinations with materials like fly ash can mitigate these effects. In the hardened state, CB can increase both compressive and flexural strength when used at low replacement levels (typically up to about 5% by mass of binder), but at higher CB contents these mechanical properties generally decline due to increased porosity and agglomeration effects. CB also may improve durability by refining pore structure and reducing permeability. Furthermore, it imparts multifunctional benefits such as electrical conductivity, enabling self-sensing and smart infrastructure applications. From an environmental perspective, CB reduces landfill waste and global warming potential (GWP), especially when derived from industrial by-products. Optimal replacement levels can decrease GWP by up to 35%, though excessive CB use compromises structural performance. The review also highlights knowledge gaps in dispersion techniques, microstructural interactions, and long-term durability. Future research should focus on optimizing CB dispersion, surface functionalization, and hybridization with other nanomaterials to maximize performance in smart and sustainable construction. Overall, CB emerges as a promising additive for next-generation cement-based materials, aligning with global sustainability goals and advancing multifunctional infrastructure development.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1007/s41024-026-00880-0first seen 2026-08-08 05:05:38