Latest Edition of NCC E-News Now Available Online

The Spring 2024 newsletter of the National Concrete Consortium is now available online and includes the following items:

• What Can Be Done to Reduce the Embodied Carbon Emissions of Concrete? - The Spring 2024 NC² Moving Advancements into Practice (MAP) Brief from the NC² Resource Library reviews several practical and implementation-ready strategies for material selection and proportioning that transportation agencies, contractors and concrete suppliers can use to reduce the cradle-to-gate embodied carbon emissions of paving concrete in readily quantifiable ways.
• Recommendations for Future Specifications to Ensure Durable Next Generation of Concrete - Current Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) specifications for concrete rely on prescribing the materials and their proportions as well as minimum strength and workability requirements to indirectly control long-term performance. An alternative method, performance-based specifications (PBS), uses direct measures of long-term durability and performance through performance metrics or tests. Research presented in this report demonstrates that concrete performance-based specifications can be implemented in a way that results in more durable concrete while reducing financial and environmental costs.
• Development of Mix Designs and Matrix of Materials for MnROAD Low Carbon Concrete Test Site - Alternative concrete paving mixtures are being investigated that claim to have a lower global warming potential (GWP) at time of construction with equal or better long-term performance compared to conventional concrete paving mixtures currently in use by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). The objectives of this study are to develop a final matrix of test sections and a construction quality assurance (QA) plan for 16 test cells at the Minnesota Road Research Facility (MnROAD). The tests will assess the environmental impact and constructability of various concrete paving mixtures designed to reduce environmental impact. They will be monitored for three years.
• Concrete Bridge Deck Crack Sealing - This report investigates the issue of bridge deck cracking by evaluating the problem, exploring various crack types, and emphasizing inspection and categorization of cracks for effective remediation planning. It focuses on the selection of appropriate sealants while considering regional conditions as well as provides tools to optimize resource allocation, enhance bridge deck integrity and improve maintenance practices.
• MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Research Brief: How Can the Cement Industry Enable Widespread Industrial CCUS Adoption? - Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) will play key roles in the decarbonization of the cement industry. Spatial economic models can help inform cost-effective deployment strategies for carbon capture at cement facilities. This information can be used to help policymakers understand what incentives are needed to enable widespread industrial CCUS adoption.

Click here for the newsletter which contains the links to the above reports.