Widespread CCUS for hard-to-abate sectors is possible.
A CSHub project investigates how a carbon pipeline network based around the location of “carbon hubs” (nearby industrial facilities) could potentially generate abatement opportunities across sectors. The project has been selected for funding by the MIT Energy Initiative’s Future Systems Center, joining a cohort of nine other energy research projects.
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The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub makes key impacts in three areas:
Carbon neutral concrete is possible. Solutions are available today, and new ones are being developed for the future. One of the major goals of MIT CSHub is to help realize a carbon neutral concrete industry.
Effective, sustainable infrastructure spending can improve system performance and impact climate change. MIT CSHub investigates how low carbon infrastructure may be built with very finite resources.
The risk of hazards like natural disasters and extreme heat is underestimated. Stronger construction to mitigate it is undervalued. MIT CSHub studies how cities can be made more resilient to hazards through investment in stronger, cooler construction.
Our mission:
The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) is a dedicated interdisciplinary team of researchers from several departments across MIT working on concrete and infrastructure science, engineering, and economics since 2009. The MIT CSHub brings together leaders from academia, industry, and government to develop breakthroughs using a holistic approach that will achieve durable and sustainable homes, buildings, and infrastructure in ever more demanding environments.
Why study concrete sustainability?
More concrete is produced than any other material on Earth. In the foreseeable future, there is no other material that can replace concrete to meet our societies’ needs for housing, shelter, schools, and infrastructure. It is an inexpensive construction material with a relatively small environmental footprint, but its attractive properties have lead to massive use that contributes approximately 5% of global CO2 production.
News
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MIT News: How cement “breathes in” and stores millions of tons of CO₂ a year
The world’s most common construction material has a secret. Cement, the “glue” that holds concrete together, gradually “breathes in” and stores millions of tons of…
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Explainer Video: Why was Ancient Roman Concrete so durable?
Ancient Roman concrete structures, such as the Pantheon, have endured for millennia despite being unreinforced. A new explainer video explores the mechanisms behind their durability,…
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Research Brief: Site-Specific Carbon Uptake Estimation of Crushed Concrete at End-of-Life
This research brief by Gwyneth Margaux Tangog, Pranav Pradeep Kumar, Randolph Kirchain, and Hessam AzariJafari presents a context-specific approach for modeling the carbon uptake of…
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MIT News: Pompeii offers insights into ancient Roman building technology
How did Ancient Romans create concrete that has survived for millennia? Prof. Admir Masic and team uncovered new evidence in the walls of Pompeii that…
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Explainer Video: What is Carbon Uptake?
Did you know that concrete “inhales” CO₂ from the atmosphere? Our new explainer video breaks down carbon uptake, the natural process by which cement-based products…
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Research Brief: Towards Accurate End-of-Life Carbon Uptake Modeling
This research brief led by Drs. Pranav Pradeep Kumar and Hessam AzariJafari examines how the quantity of atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestered by crushed concrete is…
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