How Cement 3D Printing Can Contribute to Decarbonization

For the past decades, the global population has been steadily increasing, which means that these people have to be accommodated somewhere. Consequently, with this increasing number, the amount of accommodation must also increase. Essential for its construction are cementitious products (including cement and concrete), which are among the most widely used resources nowadays. If we take a look at the study carried out by the UN DESA (Population Division) to forecast the world’s population in the coming years, this could mean that by 2060 there will already be more than ten billion people living on this planet. Considering the production of cement, which currently accounts for around 8% of total CO2 emissions, this is likely to increase even further for the construction industry. As a result, a team of researchers consisting of Ankita Gangotra, Emanuela Del Gado and Joanna I. Lewis, all of whom work at Georgetown University in the United States of America, have been looking into the possibilities of 3D printing with cement and the associated climate protection.

The threat to our planet from CO2 is a serious growing issue, and since the production and use of cement plays a major role in this, it will take 3D printing to achieve carbon neutrality in terms of the cement and concrete supply chain by the middle of this century. The goal the researchers have been addressing in the course of their work is dedicated to decarbonization in the cement sector. This means a change in the way the economy is run, which should lead to less carbon being emitted.

An example of cement 3D printing can be seen in the construction of the first 3D-printed building in Austria (Image: PERI 3D Construction GmbH)

Is Climate Protection Possible Through 3D Printing With Cement?

We know that additive manufacturing in the construction sector provides us with savings in materials, time and costs, and also minimizes the human workload, but when considering the possibilities in terms of climate protection, the researchers state that 3D printing still has a lot of potential. With reference to the cement supply chain, greenhouse gas emissions can be sustainably reduced using 3D printing. Starting with the production of the 3D printable mixtures and ending with the final end use and thus the construction of buildings. In the first step of this supply chain, the researchers state that this could involve the production of novel low-carbon 3D printable cement mixes that have been reinforced with other cementitious materials. For example, this could include industrial waste such as fly ash or slag, but could also include naturally formed materials such as clay. The research paper goes on to say that alternative binders such as geopolymers and recycled materials from conventional concrete can also be used for this purpose. All these factors to renew the cement mixture for subsequent 3D printing can lead to the reduction of emissions.