OSU to lead creation of National Center for Sustainable Construction Materials

OSU to lead creation of National Center for Sustainable Construction Materials

Monday, July 22, 2024

Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | [email protected]

Oklahoma State University's College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology was recently selected for an Environmental Protection Agency grant of nearly $10 million to lead the creation of the National Center for Sustainable Construction Materials.

It is the largest grant for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in more than a decade.

OSU partnered with 10 universities nationwide and the National Asphalt Pavement Association to promote the use of low-carbon construction materials, primarily focusing on asphalt, concrete and structural steel. It will promote Environmental Product Declarations,standardized documents that detail the environmental impact of a declared unit of a material.

The Biden administration has made reducing greenhouse gas emissions a top priority, and recently announced through the EPA $160 million for national grants to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry in the U.S.

Dr. Deb Mishra, associate professor in CIVE, is the principal investigator on this project and will serve as the center's director. He will also be responsible for all technical aspects related to asphalt materials.

"The objective behind this initiative is to ultimately establish a practice where the environmental impact of products is considered during procurement processes," Mishra said. "However, if EPDs are to be considered as criteria during the procurement process, it is imperative that they are created using consistent methods that are transparent and are based on robust/reliable data." 

Dr. Tyler Ley, Regents Professor in CIVE, will be deputy director and oversee all technical aspects related to concrete materials. Dr. Mohamed Soliman, associate professor and Decker Dawson Chair with CIVE, will oversee details regarding structural steel. Dr. Scott Frazier, associate professor in the School of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will coordinate all outreach and training activities undertaken in the region by OSU for this project.

"The creation of the National Center for Sustainable Construction Materials aligns with national priorities to mitigate climate change by advancing low-carbon technologies," Mishra said.

Dr. Deb Mishra

There is no researcher with the project working with glass, but glass is not excluded from the project's scope. Glass research will likely be incorporated into the project.

To foster the adoption of EPDs, training on the importance of LCCMs is needed. The center will focus on creating training materials and modules on the importance of EPDs. All members of construction crews would be trained as it creates a well-rounded approach to implementing EPDs.

Activities for K-12 students will also be created to teach them about the importance of LCCMs. Internship opportunities for underrepresented students will be created through the help of Langston University, one of the partners in this project.

The center will be headquartered at OSU, and each partner university will serve as a Center of Excellence in EPDs in its respective region. Each partnering university has strong ties to its respective state departmentsof transportation, which will help the Center reach out to DOTs across the country.

"We did not just pick universities to represent a geographically diverse population," Mishra said. "We worked with faculty members who are internationally recognized for their work in construction materials. We strongly believe our team's composition is our main strength as we undertake this exciting project."

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