A method of forming a plurality of cured concrete bodies, each body possessing a cured compressive strength, the disclosed method includes: introducing a flowable mixture of constituent components of the concrete into a plurality of molds; molding the flowable mixture within the plurality of molds with the aid of one or more support, thereby forming a plurality of green bodies; partially curing the green bodies to a degree sufficient to provide a compressive strength that is lower than the cured compressive strength, thereby producing a plurality of pre-cured green bodies; assembling at least a portion of the plurality of pre-cured green bodies to form a collection thereof having a predetermined geometrical configuration; and curing the collection of pre-cured green bodies to a degree sufficient to achieve the cured compressive strength, thereby producing a collection of cured bodies having the predetermined geometrical configuration.

An extrudable cement-based material formed from a mixture that includes cement, water, gypsum, secondary materials, reinforcement fibers and rheology modifying agent. The extrudable cement-based material is a lightweight material that has a density in the range of about 1.4 to 2.4 g/cm.sup.3, a compressive strength in the range of about 5 to 100 MPa, and a flexural strength in the range of about 5 to 35 MPa. Note that the cement may contain gypsum such that the gypsum is not added to the mixture.

A cement-based material is formed from a mixture that includes cement in the range of about 40 to 90% by wet weight percent, a lightweight expanded aggregate in the range of about 10 to 60% by wet weight percent, a secondary material in the range of about 0.1 to 50% by wet weight percent, a reinforcement fiber in the range of about 1 to 20% by wet weight percent, a rheology modifying agent in the range of about 0.5 to 10% by wet weight percent, a retarder in the range of about 0.1 to 8% by wet weight percent, and water in the range of 10 to 60% of a total wet material weight.

The instant disclosure sets forth a process for re-activating a mineral residue. The process includes providing a mineral residue, which includes a core and a shell around the core. In certain examples, the core comprises calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), or a combination thereof. The Ca and Mg is not present as elemental Ca or Mg but rather as a compound of Ca or of Mg, such as but not limited to Ca(OH).sub.2 or Mg(OH).sub.2. In certain examples, the shell comprises an oxide, a hydroxide, a carbonate, a silicate, a sulfite, a sulfate, a chloride, a nitrate, or nitrite, of calcium (Ca) or of magnesium (Mg), or a combination thereof. The process includes (a) fractionating the mineral residue; (b) contacting the mineral residue with an acid and fractionating the mineral residue; or (c) contacting the mineral residue with a base and fractionating the mineral residue. As a result, the mineral residue's core is exposed. In some examples, the shell is passivating and inhibits the Ca or Mg, or both, in the core from reacting with carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2). By exposing the core as described herein, a mineral residue's reactivity with carbon dioxide is increased.

Various cement-containing compositions are disclosed, to be made into forms, and prefabricated building materials produced from cement-containing compositions with insulating properties. Some of the preferred embodiments include expanded polystyrene and an acrylic component to provide enhanced insulating properties, or have a lower density, lighter weight, and increased insulating R-value in comparison with other cement-containing compositions.

A cementitious mixture for a 3D printer and its relative use are described, more specifically for the production of finished products having a complex geometry using a 3D printing apparatus.

A manufacturing process of a concrete product includes: (1) extracting calcium from solids as portlandite; (2) forming a cementitious slurry including the portlandite; (3) shaping the cementitious slurry into a structural component; and (4) exposing the structural component to carbon dioxide sourced from a flue gas stream, thereby forming the concrete product.

A system and method for producing a coal product from a carbon source material. The coal product may include a green carbon foam, a finished carbon foam, and/or a coal siding product. The system and method for producing a green carbon foam may involve pulverizing the carbon source material prior to processing the pulverized carbon source material to produce the green carbon foam using a float bath or an extruder. During production of the green carbon foam, the temperature of the float bath or extruder may be maintained at a temperature determined relative to the Gieseler fluidity properties of the carbon source material used.

There is provided composite materials that include a plastic polymer and gypsum for use as a building material and methods of fabricating the building material. The composite material can include a foaming agent configured to reduce the density of the composite material. The composite material can be extruded or injection molded into a building material form that can include an elongated, rectangular form. The building material can be used as a wood replacement for wooden building materials. The plastic polymer can include linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and/or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The composite material can include a filler, such as wood flour or saw dust.

A process for producing a ceramic catalyst involves the steps of: a) providing functional particles having a catalytically inactive pore former as a support surrounded by a layer of a catalytically active material, b) processing the functional particles with inorganic particles to form a catalytic composition, c) treating the catalytic composition thermally to form a ceramic catalyst, wherein the ceramic catalyst comprises at least porous catalytically inactive cells which are formed by the pore formers in the functional particles, which are embedded in a matrix comprising the inorganic particles, which form a porous structure and which are at least partly surrounded by an active interface layer comprising the catalytically active material of the layer of the functional particles. An SCR catalyst produced in by this method has an improved NO.sub.x conversion rate compared to a conventionally produced SCR catalyst.