Sustainable materials for 3D concrete printing

Abstract

This paper explores the sustainability aspects of binders used in concrete 3D concrete printing. Firstly, a prospective approach to conduct sustainability-assessment based on the life cycle of 3D printed structures is presented, which also highlights the importance of considering the functional requirements of the mixes used for 3D printing. The potential of the material production phase is emphasized to enhance the sustainability potential of 3DCP by reducing the embodied impacts. The literature on the different binder systems used for producing 3D printable mixtures is reviewed. This review includes binders based on portland cement and supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, silica-fume and slag. Also, alternative binders such as geopolymer, calcium sulfo-aluminate cement (CSA), limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) and reactive magnesium oxide systems are explored. Finally, sustainability assessment by quantifying the environmental impacts in terms of energy consumed and CO₂ emissions of mixtures is illustrated with different binder systems. This paper underlines the effect of using SCMs and alternative binder systems for improving the sustainability of 3D printed structures.