A team of UCLA engineers has received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop 3-D-printed concrete that incorporates carbon dioxide into the cement-making process.
The team is led by Mathieu Bauchy, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. The other faculty members working on the project are Gaurav Sant, professor of civil and environmental engineering; Ximin He, assistant professor of materials science and engineering; and Puneet Gupta, professor of electrical and computer engineering.
The current process of making cement accounts for approximately 8% of human carbon emissions. By incorporating carbon dioxide into the process, the research team could create a product that reduces these emissions by as much as 60%. The research team will focus on understanding how slurries of cement flow to enable their use in 3-D printing, figuring out how to maximize the amount of carbon dioxide incorporated into concrete and searching for new structures that will offer high load-bearing capabilities while still being lightweight.