Groundbreaking 3D Printed Concrete Lowers Carbon Emissions by 31%

Concrete is a popular material for 3D printing, especially in the construction sector. It’s a composite material of aggregate—usually geological materials such as gravel, sand and crushed rock—that is bonded by fluid cement and hardened over time. In recent years, it has become increasingly easy to use for additive manufacturing. Standard concrete 3D printers are like FDM printers, operating by material extrusion. However, concrete has a huge carbon footprint. According to Statista, manufacturing cement (which is part of concrete) produced 1.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2022 alone. So, it’s great news that researchers developed concrete for 3D printing with low carbon emissions.

The concrete material for 3D printing that researchers at the Unviersity of Virginia developed has many promising characteristics: it’s strong, durable and emits significantly lower carbon emissions than traditional printable concrete mixtures. How did they achieve this? The researchers created a unique mix of graphene, limestone and calcined clay cement (LC2).

Osman Ozbulut, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. (Photo credits: Tom Daly via the University of Virginia)

Graphene, a carbon allotrope, is known for its strength and lightness. Osman Ozbulut, a professor at UVA’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, explained, “The addition of graphene to LC2 cement offers a unique opportunity to lower carbon emissions while maintaining the strength and flexibility required for 3D printed construction.”