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MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Bruce McIntosh, Portland Cement Association
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Topics HUB background Life-cycle assessment of pavement Life-cycle assessment of buildings and homes Econometrics Green concrete science
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MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Established by PCA and RMCREF $10 million investment over next 5 years Validate and innovate: –Identify areas in which concrete excels –Identify opportunities for improvements –Create solid technical basis for future industry development
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R&D Platforms Concrete Science Building Technology Econometrics
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Concrete Science Platform Mission: Scientific breakthroughs toward reducing CO 2 footprint of cement and concrete Breakthroughs would imply: –Strength with less material –Lower energy processing –Chemical stability
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Building Technology Platform Mission: Life-cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete buildings and pavements to identify impacts and opportunities
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Econometrics Mission: Assess the impact on jobs and the economy of sustainable advancements in cement and concrete
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Building Technology: Paving 8 million lane- miles 3 trillion vehicle- miles / year 27% of U.S. GHG emissions from road transportation
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Improving Paving Performance Comprehensive methodology for pavement LCA Quantifying greenhouse gases Investigate pavement- vehicle interaction
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Life-Cycle Analysis Opportunities from LCA: “Cradle-to-cradle” analysis Large impacts beyond initial manufacturing Use-phase impacts
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Use-Phase Impacts Fuel consumption Urban heat islands Street lighting Carbonation
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Indirect impacts Traffic delays Additional materials and energy Construction equipment emissions Material waste
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Key findings Whole life LCA needed to capture all impacts Use and maintenance phases account for 33% to 44% of CO2 for interstate highways
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Pavement-Vehicle Interaction Demonstrates of fuel savings with concrete Two factors: stiffness and roughness Stiffness Roughness
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Stiffness or Deflection Rigid pavements produce less rolling resistance and better fuel economy Stiffness
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Stiffness or Deflection Asphalt roads need to be 25% to 60% thicker to achieve same fuel efficiency as concrete. Goal is to assess impacts of pavement properties on fuel consumption for both environmental impact and cost savings.
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50-year GHG Emissions High VolumeArterial
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Building Technology: Structures Life-cycle analysis research for single-family housing, multifamily housing, and commercial structures
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Residential Bldgs Commercial Bldgs Industry Transportation 21% 18% 35% 26% United States Other of G7 countries Rest of the world 25% 19% 56% Why are Buildings Important?
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Buildings Life-Cycle Analysis Examining materials within whole building context, not just manufacturing and initial construction Consider use and operations phases
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Single-Family Housing Single family homes represent 80% of total residential energy consumption 80% Single family Multi-family
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Single-Family LCA Exterior walls Wood frame and insulating concrete forms Quantity of insulation Thermal mass
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Key Findings Concrete homes produce 5% to 8% lower GHG emissions. Concrete homes use 8% to 11% less energy. Concrete wall systems have higher embodied energy, but that accounts for only 2% to 12% of GHG over a 60-year service life.
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Next Steps: Air Tightness Not considered in initial study, but represents greatest potential for additional improvement Improvement from average to tight saves 23% of total operating energy
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Commercial Buildings Commercial buildings represent 18% of U.S. energy consumption
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Commercial LCA Compares steel and concrete structural frames Floor to floor heights identical 12-story building with 40% glazing 12-
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Key Findings No greater embodied energy than comparable steel frames Energy savings when concrete frame is exposed are 3%; when covered by finishes, 2%. Active use of the thermal mass capability of concrete slabs could result in significant savings
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Econometrics Study on life-cycle cost analysis” for highways, “The Effects of Inflation and Its Volatility on the Choice of Construction Alternatives.” Study examines historical data on real prices of construction materials.
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Key Findings Traditional analysis uses the same escalation rate for concrete and asphalt. Assumption of constant real costs can lead to serious cost overruns. Study suggests the use of material- specific escalation rates.
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Advocacy and Promotion Working with state and federal officials to incorporate MIT findings in life-cycle analysis models Focus of ad campaign Goal: Level playing field for concrete and asphalt.
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Ad Campaign
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Concrete Science Platform 1.Alite/belite reactivity 2.Aluminate reactivity 3.Alkali effects 4.Water and dissolved components 5.Mechanical properties of materials
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Concrete Science Platform Industry/MIT collaboration Significant progress on key topics: –Alite/belite reactivity –Water and dissolved components –Mechanical properties of materials
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More Information http://web.mit.edu/cshub/
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MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Bruce McIntosh, Portland Cement Association
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