A research team led by civil and environmental engineering associate professor John T. Fox, has secured a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy to tackle the environmental impact of traditional concrete production. Their innovative proposal aims to develop a low-carbon alternative binder using low-temperature calcined clays, potentially halving CO2 emissions compared with existing methods of producing Portland cement. With collaboration from industry leader Buzzi Unicem USA, the project seeks to revolutionize the concrete industry, offering a promising pathway toward greater sustainabilty.
The team also includes CEE professors Clay Naito and Paolo Bocchini, as well as Carlos Romero, director and principal research scientist of Lehigh's Energy Research Center.
“This grant shows the opportunities of synergy between academia and industry and how it could lead into high level and impactful research," says Shamim Pakzad, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "I am particularly excited about the expansion of the research portfolio of CEE departments into this area of greener cement, which opens many opportunities for future research and implementation in industry.”
Read the full story on the Institute for Cyber Phyiscal Infrastructure and Energy (I-CPIE) website.
