Accelerated carbonation curing of concrete: An experimental and analytical study of reinforcement corrosion, service life, and life cycle assessment

Abstract Accelerated carbonation curing (ACC) is increasingly recognized as a sustainable curing strategy capable of enhancing concrete durability while utilizing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). This study investigates the combined influence of cement type and curing regime on service life performance against chloride‐induced corrosion and the life‐cycle carbon footprint of concrete, with an emphasis on integrating durability with environmental assessment. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) concretes subjected to water curing and ACC were experimentally characterized to evaluate chloride transport properties. The probabilistic service life modeling based on Fick's second law was used to estimate time to corrosion initiation under chloride exposure conditions. The results demonstrate that ACC induces densification of the near‐surface concrete matrix, leading to reduced surface chloride concentration and lower chloride diffusion coefficients ( D Cl ) for both OPC and PPC‐based concretes compared to water curing. The probabilistic service life model predicted longer times to corrosion initiation for ACC mixtures, with carbonation‐cured PPC exhibiting the highest predicted durability among four mixes. A cradle‐to‐gate life cycle assessment showed that carbonation curing reduced cumulative CO 2 emissions by 10% for OPC and 16% for PPC. When normalized by the predicted service life, CO 2 intensity decreased substantially from 24 to 14 kg CO 2 ‐eq. per service year for OPC and from 13.5 to 7 kg CO 2 ‐eq. per service year for PPC, demonstrating the combined durability and sustainability benefits of ACC. The integrated assessment highlights ACC, particularly in combination with pozzolanic cement, as a cleaner production pathway that simultaneously enhances service life and substantially reduces the life cycle carbon footprint of concrete exposed to chloride‐laden environments.