Methods and compositions using calcium carbonate

• US 8,177,909 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arelac, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Calera Corporation
• Inventors: Constantz, Brent R., Farsad, Kasra, Camire, Chris, Chen, Irvin, Ginder-Vogel, Matthew, Fernandez, Miguel
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCANTONI, PAUL D
• Application Number:
  US13/082,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20110203489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 106/713, 106/738, 423/430, 264/DIG.43
• US Class Current: 106/738
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/404 of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/0233 from cement factories
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/28 of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/02 containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/04 Portland cements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 40/10 Production of cement, e.g. improving or optimising the production methods; Cement grinding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 264/43 Processes of curing clay and concrete materials

Abstract

Provided herein are compositions and methods including hydraulic cement, supplementary cementitious material, and/or self-cementing material. Methods for making the compositions and using the compositions are provided.

Claims

1. A method for making a composition, comprising:

(a) contacting a solution comprising a proton removing agent with CO₂ gas to form a CO₂ charged water;

(b) contacting an alkaline earth-metal containing water with the CO₂ charged water; and

(c) subjecting the alkaline earth-metal containing water of step (b) to one or more conditions to make a composition comprising hydraulic cement, the hydraulic cement comprising at least 47% w/w vaterite, wherein the composition upon combination with water, setting, and hardening has a compressive strength of at least 14 MPa,

wherein the one or more conditions are selected from the group consisting of mixing, stirring, temperature, pH, precipitation, residence time of the precipitate, dewatering of precipitate, washing precipitate with water, ion ratio, concentration of additives, drying, milling, grinding, storing, aging, and curing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CO₂ gas is an industrial waste stream selected from the group consisting of flue gas from combustion, a flue gas from a chemical processing plant, a flue gas from a plant that produces CO₂ as a byproduct, and combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline earth-metal containing water is fresh water, hard water, brackish water, sea water, brine, or combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the proton removing agent is selected from the group consisting of oxide, hydroxide, carbonate, coal ash, naturally occurring mineral selected from lime, periclase, iron hydroxide mineral, volcanic ash, mafic mineral and ultramafic mineral, and combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the proton removing agent is a hydroxide obtained from an electrochemical process that produces hydroxide at a cathode and proton at an anode.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the proton removing agent is sodium hydroxide.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic cement composition has a carbon isotopic fractionation value (δ

¹³C) of between −

12‰

to −

25‰

.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding one or more component to the composition selected from the group consisting of blast furnace slag, fly ash, diatomaceous earth, pozzolans, silica fumes, limestone, gypsum, hydrated lime, air entrainers, retarders, waterproofers, and coloring agents.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding an aggregate to the composition.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a formed building material from the composition.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline earth-metal is calcium, magnesium, or combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the dewatering comprises gravitational setting.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the drying comprises oven drying or spray drying.