Mineral CO₂ Sequestration in Industrial Waste Materials: A Comparative Study Using FTIR, TGA and Calcimetry

Authors

Sara Tominc
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3956-9109
Majda Pavlin
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1701-8130
Maruša Mrak
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute image/svg+xml
Vilma Ducman
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute image/svg+xml
Ognjen Rudić
Graz University of Technology image/svg+xml
Cyrill Grengg
Graz University of Technology image/svg+xml
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fkkt.1.2026.8

Synopsis

Mineral CO2 sequestration is a promising approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by storing CO2 in stable forms permanently. This process involves capturing CO2 and converting it into solid carbonates through mineralisation. Waste ashes and slags, by-products of waste incineration and steel production, are promising materials for CO2 sequestration, due to their high alkalinity and reactive mineral phases. In this study, the CO2 sequestration potentials of different metallurgical slags and incineration ashes from Austria and Slovenia were analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and calcimetry. Biomass ash (A1) showed the highest sequestration capacity of 153.7 g CO2 per kg of ash.

Author Biographies

Sara Tominc, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute

Sara Tominc, PhD, is a researcher at the Department of Materials, in the Laboratory for Cements, Mortars and Ceramics, at the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute. Her research focuses on traditional ceramics, and on the beneficial use of waste materials in the construction industry. She obtained her BSc in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Maribor and her PhD at the Jožef Stefan Institute, where she investigated the influence of pentavalent dopants on twinning and microstructure development in SnO₂ ceramics for high-performance varistors and dielectrics. She specialises in electron microscopy, thermal analysis and waste characterisation. Recently, she has been investigating accelerated mineral carbonation, aiming to understand the mechanisms and kinetics of CO₂ sequestration and to optimise carbonation conditions.

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: sara.tominc@zag.si

Majda Pavlin, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail:  majda.pavlin@zag.si

Maruša Mrak, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: marusa.mrak@zag.si

Vilma Ducman, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: vilma.ducman@zag.si

Ognjen Rudić, Graz University of Technology

Graz, Austria. E-mail:ognjen.rudic@tugraz.at

Cyrill Grengg, Graz University of Technology

Graz, Austria. E-mail: cyrill.grengg@tugraz.at

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Volume

8th International Conference on Technologies & Business Models for Circular Economy: Conference Proceedings

Pages

91-104

Published

April 21, 2026

Series

Technologies & Business Models for Circular Economy

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 University of Maribor

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Tominc, S., Pavlin, M., Mrak, M., Ducman, V., Rudić, O., & Grengg, C. (2026). Mineral CO₂ Sequestration in Industrial Waste Materials: A Comparative Study Using FTIR, TGA and Calcimetry. In S. Potrč, M. B. Miloš Bogataj, Z. K. Zdravko Kravanja, & Z. Novak Pintarič (Eds.), & (Ed.), 8th International Conference on Technologies & Business Models for Circular Economy: Conference Proceedings (Vols. 8., pp. 91-104). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fkkt.1.2026.8