Influence of water to cement ratio on CO₂ uptake capacity of belite-rich cement upon exposure to carbonation curing

The present study investigates the effect of water to cement ratio on the physiochemical and microstructural properties of carbonation cured belite-rich cement. Five varying water to cement ratio for belite-rich cement were carbonation cured for 28 days. It is observed that distinct form of behavior is exhibited on variation of water to cement ratio and its relation to the strength development in carbonation curing. The results demonstrated that higher water to cement ratio led to greater uptake of CO₂ which enhanced the consumption of belite phase leading to increased production of calcite. The microstructural analysis showed that the varying water to cement ratio allowed for refinement of pore structure for belite-rich cement with reduced interconnection between pores. In particular, the relationship between water to cement ratio and formation of carbonation product is kept in focus along with the porosity distribution.