ConExpo-Con/Agg paves way for “Green Roads Summit”

A presentation, “Climate Change, Sustainable Transportation and Economic Competitiveness,” will kick off a one-day program during 2011 ConExpo-Con/Agg  (March 22-26, Las Vegas), aimed at spotlighting “green” highway construction practice and the latest environmental information affecting jobsites and road programs. Morning general sessions will span emerging trends in sustainability, including FHWA’s highway criteria tool and pilot projects.

Read More

MIT: Operation accounts for lion’s share of structures’ CO2 emissions

Preliminary findings from Concrete Sustainability Hub research aimed at a new life-cycle assessment (LCA) model suggest that service phase encompasses 85 percent and 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, respectively, from highway pavements and residential buildings. Ongoing studies at the MIT-hosted Hub will quantify paving and building materials’ cradle-to-grave environmental costs, yielding what staff contends is the most comprehensive LCA model to date.

Read More

Cemex carbon footprint tool paces sustainability curve

Source: Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico

A tool under phased, global deployment enables Cemex to measure greenhouse gas emissions tied to production and delivery of cement, ready mixed and aggregate products. A first of its kind in building materials, it assists customers calculating a project’s carbon footprint. Cemex will begin publishing product-specific carbon content in selected operations during 2011, with rollout schedule reflecting market requirements, and include related performance indicators in its annual Sustainable Development Report.

Read More

Hanson extends LEED calculator to broader pipe, precast universe

Technology applied to upwards of 400 Hanson Pipe & Precast orders since its 2009 introduction has been modified for additional use by customers of sister Pressure Pipe and Structural Precast divisions. The LEED v2 calculator quantifies product criteria the U.S. Green Building Council recognizes in Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification.

Read More

Gate Precast proves Tennessee’s SHARPest safety & health-wise operator

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development scheduled an early December presentation of an award recognizing Gate Precast/Ashland as the state’s largest SHARP (Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) Certified manufacturing facility. SHARP cites employers with exemplary safety and health management systems.

Read More

ASTM guide covers scanning electron microscopy for hardened concrete

Absence of standardized procedures for a method used since the 1960s to examine concrete specimens’ mix constituents, water/cement ratio and related quality control attributes has led to ASTM C1723–10 Standard Guide for Examination of Hardened Concrete Using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The new guide assists petrographers in performing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and maximize the techniques’ utility in examining concrete, mortar and stucco specimens.

Read More