Non-Calcination Production of Calcium Hydroxide via Plasma-Activated Water for Sustainable Supplementary Cementitious Material
摘要
This study presents a novel approach to producing calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), which not only plays a crucial role in enhancing the pozzolanic reactivity and properties of supplementary cementitious material (SCM), but also advances Ca(OH)2 toward being truly sustainable material. By reducing reliance on energy-intensive and high-temperature calcination processes, this method minimizes carbon emissions that calculated under a ‘Green Innovation’ scenario, utilizing renewable energy and by-products for the maximum sustainability potential and contributes to the development of environmentally friendly construction materials in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The process utilizes plasma-activated water (PAW), a Cold Plasma Technology, wherein reactive radicals promote hydroxylation and crystallization of Ca(OH)2 under plasma conditions, offering a low-carbon and energy-efficient route. Structural characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis demonstrated that this approach improves crystallinity, enhances hydroxylation, increases surface area, and induces favorable adsorption behavior, facilitating dense layer-by-layer growth of Ca(OH)2. The resulting material exhibits enhanced reactivity and stability for SCM applications, improving cementitious performance, while carbon emission assessments confirm a reduced carbon emission compared to conventional calcination-based production, highlighting the potential of PAW-assisted synthesis for sustainable construction materials.