Grantee Research Project Results
2021 Progress Report: Cool and Sustainable Sidewalks
EPA Grant Number: SU839840Title: Cool and Sustainable Sidewalks
Investigators: Rowangould, Gregory , Morelli, Claude , Taha, Mahmoud , Antonczak, Brittany , Genedy, Moneeb , Montano, Stephen , Raby, Patience
Institution: University of New Mexico
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Phase: I
Project Period: October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020 (Extended to September 30, 2022)
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2020 through September 30,2021
Project Amount: $24,999
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Our technical challenge is to design a sidewalk that can be built using recycled and less energy- and carbon-intensive materials with the thinnest possible thickness (in order to reduce material use and limit heat storage capacity). By revisiting the materials and techniques that cities and towns use to build sidewalks, we believe it is possible to identify more durable, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective approaches than are commonly used today.
Progress Summary:
During the second year of the project the research team presented their initial research on the thermal and structural properties of several concrete slab designs at the virtual P3 design expo held in June of 2021. The initial work was limited due to lab and campus closures during the first wave of the pandemic. During the summer and fall of 2021 students continued their work by focusing on (1) the use of alternative concrete materials that have a lower carbon footprint than Portland cement, (2) materials and mix designs that are printable, and (3) an improved experimental setup to evaluate thermal properties in a more controlled setting. Testing was conducted to evaluate printability of the mixes and compare their compressive strength to a refence design. Results to date find that lower carbon mixes using recycled materials can be printed. Mix designs that substitute some Portland cement for fly ash and slag had a somewhat higher compressive strength than a reference mix design while mixes with recycled rubber and carbon black had strengths 25 to 30% less than reference.
Future Activities:
During academic year 2021-2022, the remaining work will be completed by student teams at UNM and UVM. The student teams will focus on 3D-printing slabs using each mix design, completing additional structural tests, testing the thermal properties of each slab using the new testing setup designed over the summer and evaluating the lifecycle carbon emissions of each mix design.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Pedestrians, High Performance Concrete, 3D PrintingProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.