Sustainable Concrete Construction - Present and Future

As the most common construction material and second only to water in terms of use by mankind, concrete cannot simply be replaced with another material at a large scale. In terms of global usage, 14B cubic meters of concrete were produced in 2020 using 4.2B tonnes of cement. Concrete provides a durable and resilient solution at a cost that other materials cannot match. However, cement production alone accounts for about 7 - 8% of global CO₂ emissions and about 70M tonnes (or roughly 1%) of US CO₂ emissions per year. Decarbonization by 2050, is a goal of this industry. This presentation will touch on four topics. First, it will provide a short introduction to the American Concrete Institute (ACI) as a technical organization, its new initiatives, and its standards. Second, it will address the challenges and opportunities of decarbonization of concrete including market initiatives, road-mapping, and ACI response. The third topic will address non-metallic reinforcement and a sample of field use as a response to improved concrete sustainability. Finally, part four will show a possible approach to the construction of a proposed linear collider with emphasis on sustainability in terms of efficiency, speed and economy.

Speaker: Antonio Nanni, University of Miami

Attend in person or online (see weblink for Zoom information)