Carbonation and Circular

Economy – Through the Lens of

Manufactured Dry-Cast Concrete

NIST Workshop: June 8, 2022

Jason Thompson – VP Engineering, NCMA

(jthompson@ncma.org)

ncma.org
 

 

ncma.org

The Humble Cinder Block...

From it’s early beginnings...
 

 

ncma.org

The Humble Cinder Block...

To thousands of products...
 

 

ncma.org

The Humble Cinder Block...

...Used in hundreds of applications.
ncma.org

Dry-Casting – Production Overview
 

ncma.org

Dry-Casting – Production Overview

Other unique production

variables:

Aggregate Size

Coarse Fine 
 

Dry-Casting – Production Overview

Other unique production variables:

Regrind

ncma.org
 

 

 

 

Dry-Cast Manufactured Concrete

While dry-cast manufactured concrete is concrete, its

combination of constituent materials, manufacturing

methods, and curing process facilitate innovations in

material use.

ncma.org And...
 

 

 

Dry-Cast Manufactured Concrete

The modular, segmental characteristics of manufactured

concrete products are uniquely suited for adaptive

reuse...with some challenges.

ncma.org
 

 

 

ncma.org

Dry-Cast Products – Circular Concepts

Design Intent vs. Inherent Attribute?

Segmental Retaining Walls
 

 

 

ncma.org

Dry-Cast Products – Circular Concepts

Design Intent vs. Inherent Attribute?

Segmental Retaining Walls
 

 

 

Dry-Cast Products – Circular Concepts

Design Intent vs. Inherent Attribute?

Interlocking Concrete Pavers

ncma.org
 

 

 

ncma.org

Dry-Cast Products – Circular Concepts

Design Intent vs. Inherent Attribute?

Concrete Masonry

Mortar, grout, and rebar

present challenges.
 

 

ncma.org

Dry-Cast Products – Circular Concepts

Design Intent vs. Inherent Attribute?

Concrete Masonry

Dry-stack CMU
 

 

 

Dry-Cast Products – Circular Concepts

Dry-cast manufactured concrete products (by accident?)

are specifically tailored to adapt and align with circular

economy objectives.

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Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

The other key market driver for the industry is minimizing

our carbon footprint.

Production of portland cement

is carbon intensive.

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Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

There are numerous carbon capture, accelerated

carbonation, and related technologies in use and in

development today that permanently sequester CO2.

While it was well known that concrete carbonates, we

didn’t have a good baseline for dry-cast concrete

carbonation.

ncma.org
 

 

 

 

Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

The assumption was that dry-cast and wet-cast concrete

carbonate at roughly the same rate and therefore

sequester about the same amount of CO2.

ncma.org
 

 

 

ncm

Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

In reality wet-cast and dry-cast

concrete carbonate at vastly

different rates.

a.org
 

 

 

ncm

Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

In reality wet-cast and dry-cast

concrete carbonate at vastly

different rates.

a.org
 

 

 

 

 

 

ncma.org

Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

Research Underway:

CMU were collected from across

the U.S. and Canada and allowed

to naturally carbonate. TGA was

performed periodically to measure

carbon uptake.
 

 

ncma.org

Dry-Cast Products – Carbon Sequestration

Research Underway:

28 Day Uptake:

21 kg/m3
 

 

 

 

 

Dry-Cast Products – The Future

Today the dry-cast concrete

products industry is at the

cusp of integrating all these

unique attributes.

Constituent Materials

Production

Flexibility

Accelerated and

Natural Carbonation

Segmental

Products

ncma.org
 

 

 

 

Carbonation and Circular

Economy – Through the Lens of

Manufactured Dry-Cast Concrete

NIST Workshop: June 8, 2022

Jason Thompson – VP Engineering, NCMA

(jthompson@ncma.org)

ncma.org

Questions

?