The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $3.2 million to Solar MEAD, a joint project of its New Mexico affiliate, Sandia National Laboratories, Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., and Swiss concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology developer Synhelion. Investigators aim to replace the use of fossil fuels with CST energy to provide the 1,500°C heat required to calcine cement kiln raw feed—limestone,…
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Through their Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, Portland Cement Association members have committed to developing cutting-edge methods to reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with clinker production and finishing—all while continuing to deliver premium ASTM C 150 output. Such efforts are being tracked on www.CementProgress.com, a new microsite highlighting the industry’s advancements and oriented around the Roadmap pillars of Clinker, Cement, Concrete,…
Read MoreThe American Concrete Institute has chartered PRO: An ACI Center of Excellence for Advancing Concrete Industry Productivity as a catalyst for solving constructability barriers. PRO will collaborate with design and engineering professionals, material suppliers, plus contractors to resolve issues that negatively impact output in concrete site operations. “The concrete contractor’s input on design details, specifications, and material criteria that embraces…
Read MoreMajor concrete rebar producers Commercial Metals Co., Nucor Corp. and Steel Dynamics Inc. lead U.S. members of the Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC), recently chartered to support a standard that “accelerates the transition to low-emission steel and recognizes the potential of the recycled, circular steel model to reduce carbon emissions.” GSCC urges the United States and European Union, representatives of…
Read MoreThe Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is assisting ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) development of a “Roadmap for Advanced Technologies for the Digitalization of the Construction Industry.” The agenda for a workshop late last month at ASTM headquarters outside Philadelphia called for brainstorming sessions on the current state and desired future state for…
Read MoreThe Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing a program to further reduce air pollution, including ozone and particulate matter (PM), from heavy-duty engines and vehicles. Compared to current standards, its new emissions thresholds are significantly more stringent and cover a wider range of heavy-duty engine operating conditions. The final rulemaking promulgates new numeric standards and changes key provisions of the existing…
Read MoreThe Environmental Protection Agency will host three webinars to gather public and private construction stakeholder perspectives on federal procurement policy tied to carbon dioxide emissions accounting and reporting methods for specified materials or products: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Construction Materials Prioritization and Environmental Data Improvement, March 2, 2-3:30 p.m. EST Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Grants and Technical Assistance…
Read More“Building Safety Starts with You!” is the theme for the International Code Council’s 43rd annual Building Safety Month. The educational and interactive campaign will take place in May to raise awareness about the importance of building codes in ensuring safety in the spaces we live, work, play and learn. Each year, ICC, its members and communities around the world celebrate…
Read MoreThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites major performance improvement in among Clean Water Act (CWA) permit holders over the past five-year period. In FY 2018, the agency and 47 states agreed to collaborate on a goal to reduce “significant non-compliance” among facilities permitted under CWA by 50 percent over five years. The effort has met the goal, as the national…
Read MoreThe Federal Highway Administration has awarded $204,000-$312,000 grants to support sustainable pavement, materials emissions tracking and related initiatives at more than 20 state departments of transportation. Many of the initiatives are centered on developing, adopting or advancing the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) methods and environmental product declarations (EPD). The latter encompass LCA data and are the most widely…
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