concrete

"Closing-the-loop" for More Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure Materials: A framework for maximizing mineral resource usage to advance more sustainable cement-based materials

  • Principal Investigator Patrick R. Cunningham
  • University of California, Davis
This dissertation will present an evaluation framework, using material from California as a case study, to prioritize the adoption of SCM by concurrently considering (1) material performance, (2) resource availability, and (3) environmental impact reduction.
Project Status
Complete

Near-term pathways for decarbonizing global concrete production

Research Product Type
Associated Publication
While hydraulic cement is a well-studied source of emissions, the consequences of efficient structural design decisions on mitigating these emissions are not yet well known. Here, the researchers show that a combination of manufacturing and engineering decisions have the potential to reduce over 76% of the GHG emissions from cement and concrete production, equivalent to 3.6 Gt CO2-eq lower emissions in 2100.

Quantifying Environmental Impacts from Concrete Production, While Accounting for Data Variability and Uncertainty

Research Product Type
Policy Brief
Concrete is also responsible for over 8% of annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. As population and urbanization increase and existing infrastructure deteriorates, demand for production of concrete will increase, and with it, the environmental burdens from its production. The models used to determine environmental impacts of producing concrete have considerable uncertainty and variability. This makes it challenging to identify the most effective means of mitigating these burdens.