MIT Launches Concrete Sustainability Hub
MIT has started the Concrete Sustainability Hub in an effort to research efforts to make concrete more environmentally friendly. MIT is workign on collaboration with the Portaland Cement Associate(PCA) and the Ready Mixed Concrete Educational Foundation. Seeing that concrete is one of the world’s most heavily used building materials, it’s essential that change be made in how concrete and it’s ingredients are manufactured.
Concrete is currently much more environmentally friendly than other materials used in the building process. The only problem is that 5% of all carbon dioxide emitted yearly comes from producing concrete. The ultimate goal of this $10 million effort is to build a concrete that is much more durable and more sustainably produced. Not only would far less greenhouses gases be produced, but less concrete could be used.
This effort seems really promising because of the fact that they are bringing together university researchers in various fields together with building industry experts. Imagine if this fairly small effort could help drastically reduce greenhouse gases while possibly saving money for those in the building industry. Not too bad for only a $10 million investment.
Comments
Great article, it is amazing the different initiatives that people are coming up with.
It would be great if they succeed, and hopefully also reduce the current costs of producing concrete, which would be a win-win on all sides for everyone!! =D
Till then,
Jean
Their trying to make a difference and also taking the initiative to make such effort, really hope they succeed. Thanks for sharing.
It is great that MIT has started this initiative. If more organizations were willing to do this kind of research, the world would be a lot greener. There should be groups actively trying to reduce carbon emissions from all major sources.
a nice step from MIT.
Very good, but isn’t a lot of the problem with concrete transporting it long distances? Ready Mixed Concrete, by definition, is a big concrete mixer driven from works to site. As for more duarable concrete. Don’t make it too durable or there will be problems with demolition at the end of a building’s life.