Production of Black Concrete Using Carbon Black and Evaluation of Water Absorption and Penetration

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran

2 Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran

10.22124/jcr.2026.30096.1694

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of producing uniform black concrete using different weight percentages of carbon black and to evaluate its effects on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete, particularly water absorption and water penetration, with a focus on architectural façade and landscaping applications. In this research, concrete mixtures containing 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.% carbon black relative to cement were produced. To assess concrete performance, tests including slump of fresh concrete, compressive strength at 7 and 28 days, initial water absorption (30 minutes), final water absorption (72 hours), and water penetration in hardened concrete were conducted in accordance with relevant standard specifications. The mix design of the control concrete was based on the ACI 211 weight-based method. The results indicated that the incorporation of carbon black up to 10 wt.% of cement increased the compressive strength of concrete at different curing ages, which was attributed to enhanced concrete densification. At higher contents (15 and 20 wt.%), a relative reduction in compressive strength was observed, mainly due to agglomeration of carbon black particles. Furthermore, increasing the carbon black content led to an increase in both initial and final water absorption. The final water absorption of the specimens ranged from approximately 2.4% to 2.9%, which remains within the acceptable limits for concretes suitable for civil engineering applications. Overall, carbon black not only provided a deep and uniform black coloration but also demonstrated acceptable performance in terms of mechanical properties and durability of concrete.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Concrete Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 February 2026

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