MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub

MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub

Concrete and infrastructure science, engineering, and economics.

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Widespread CCUS for hard-to-abate sectors is possible.
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 U.S. road network is associated with 75 megatons of GHG emissions each year.
The U.S. road network is associated with 75 megatons of GHG emissions each year.

While the network’s GHG emissions are anticipated to decrease by 2050, it is possible to extract a greater reduction through investments in materials and maintenance practices to make roads stiffer and smoother. An obstacle to achieving this is data scarcity. A new CSHub streamlined framework navigates this scarcity to reduce data collection burden by up to 85 percent.

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Carbon uptake is essential to consider in the cement-based product life cycle.
Carbon uptake is essential to consider in the cement-based product life cycle.

A CSHub interim report presents a probabilistic framework to account for carbon uptake in the environmental product declarations (EPDs) of cement-based products. Written in collaboration with Building Transparency, it aims to provide guidelines for producers to incorporate carbon uptake estimates into EPDs based on end-use applications and create a baseline for a science-based and transparent method generalizable to other components of a CBP’s life cycle.

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78% of pavement life cycle impact comes from the use phase.
78% of pavement life cycle impact comes from the use phase.

The most significant part of this use phase is pavement vehicle interaction, which includes roughness and deflection. Vehicles expend a significant amount of energy traversing imperfections like potholes and sinking into flexible pavements. In their new op-ed in The Hill, Randolph Kirchain and Hessam AzariJafari explain why the FHWA, DOTs, and MPOs, should consider road performance improvements in their metrics and investments.

Read the op-ed.
Due to the concrete delivery professional shortage, 70% of concrete producers had to turn away business.
Due to the concrete delivery professional shortage, 70% of concrete producers had to turn away business.

A special project funded by the Concrete Advancement Foundation explores both immediate and long-term strategies to address the national CDP shortage and transform the role of the CDP.

Read the report.

The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub makes key impacts in three areas:

Carbon Neutrality

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.

Infrastructure

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. 

Resilience

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.

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