Evaluation and Comparative Analysis of Carbon-Negative Concrete Applications for Sustainable Infrastructure toward Net Zero 2050 in Vietnam

[Geoengineering News]

https://i-jmst.vimaru.edu.vn/index.php/i-jmst/article/view/19

Authors: Thi Ly Pham, Phan Anh Nguyen 

30 December 2025

Abstract

The urgent demand to reduce carbon emissions from the cement and concrete industry has motivated the development of carbon-negative technologies. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of potential solutions for Vietnam’s infrastructure, focusing on two key applications: precast revetment blocks for coastal dikes and lightweight foam concrete for highway embankments. For precast blocks subjected to 2-hour CO2 curing, an average uptake of 70 kg CO2/m3 was recorded, with net sequestration of 62.6 kg CO2/m3 after subtracting curing-related emissions. At the project scale of 1,000 m3, this corresponds to approximately 62-65 tons of CO2 permanently stored. For CO2-foam concrete, the average uptake reached 87 kg CO2/m3, equivalent to 87 tons per 1,000 m3. Incorporating nano-silica or nano-CaCO3 increased compressive strength by 30-35% and enhanced CO₂ fixation by 5-10%, enabling a reduction of 5-8% in cement content while maintaining required design strength. When compared to baseline C30 concrete (~295 kg CO2/m3), these results highlight the potential to achieve net-negative emissions. The findings confirm that the deployment of carbon-negative concrete in Vietnam’s coastal and highway infrastructure could significantly contribute to the Net Zero 2050 target while providing durability and mechanical performance benefits.

Source: International Journal of Marine Science & Technology