Biochar-Based Cement and Concrete for Sustainable Construction

Daniel C.W. Tsang is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Pao Yue-Kong Chair Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization of Zhejiang University in China. He was a Professor and MSc Programme Leader at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a Visiting Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University in the US, an IMETE Scholar at Ghent University in Belgium, and a postdoctoral fellow at Imperial College London in the UK. With over 20 years of R&D experience, he has published more than 600 articles in top-tier journals and has been recognized among Stanford University’s Top 2% Scientists and Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers in the fields of Engineering and Environment & Ecology. His team is dedicated to developing green technologies for long-term decarbonization and promoting resource circularity and sustainable development. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of npj Materials Sustainability (Springer Nature), Chairman of the Hong Kong Waste Management Association (2023-2025), and Chairman of the Waste Management Subcommittee of the Advisory Council on the Environment (2023 & 2024) of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Xiaohong Zhu is a Professor of Civil Engineering Materials at Beijing University of Technology. Over the years, he has conducted research at Chongqing University, Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Leeds, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in low-carbon cement and concrete technology, as well as aged concrete. Dr. Zhu has collaborated with Prof. Ian G. Richardson at the University of Leeds on the analysis of historically significant aged cement samples, including Joseph Aspdin’s patent Portland cement (Wakefield, UK) and William Aspdin’s cement (Sheerness, UK). Additionally, he has worked with Prof. Paulo J. M. Monteiro at UC Berkeley on studies of Roman concrete and concrete from the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (Istanbul, Turkey).

• Part I: Using biochar to achieve carbon-neutral construction with traditional building materials1. Application of biochar in cementitious materials: Life cycle assessment and costing2. Biochar-augmented carbon-negative concrete3. Biochar-improved cement composites for carbon sequestration4. Low-carbon 3D-printed concrete by using biochar as a carbon sequestrator5. Finite element modelling of biochar composites6. Effects of various biochars on the physical, mechanical, and microstructural characteristics of cement pastes and mortars: A review7. Carbon capture ability of biochar-based cement compositesPart II: Functionalised biochar as the value-added additive in cementitious materials8. Biochar-carried bacteria for self-healing concrete9. Chloride diffusion of biochar–cement composites10. Thermal insulation of biochar-cement composites11. Biochar-based shrinkage reducer in conventional and new cement12. Biochar as the rheological modifier in three-dimensional printed concretePart III: Biochar used in new cement or special concrete products13. Durability concerns of biochar in low-carbon concrete14. Biochar-modified alkali-activated slag15. Biochar-amended alkali-activated slag for the stabilization of coral sand in coastal areas16. Biochar-based concrete composites in permeable block applications17. Biochar as a carbon sequestration material combined with sewage sludge incineration ash for lightweight concrete production18. Modelling of biochar-based concrete for structural components19. Opportunities and future perspectives for biochar-enhanced construction