Development of Sustainable Cementitious Materials by Using Biochar

Concrete is the construction material most widely used in the world and the huge volumes produced every year have a high impact on the environment. In this context, there is a growing interest in developing green cementitious materials able to address the ecological issues. This work focuses on the feasibility of using biochar, the solid by-product resulting from biomass pyrolysis, as carbon sequestrating additive in cementitious materials, with the aim of not diminishing their structural performance but even obtaining enhanced mechanical properties. Since biochar is mainly composed by carbon, it is able to capture and store carbon in buildings - in a stable form - for decades. Furthermore, biochar is usually disposed of as waste; thus, its employment in the building industry would promote waste reutilization, by increasing the recycling rate. In order to assess the structural efficiency of biochar-added cementitious materials, their mechanical properties are here properly investigated.