concrete

A new Purdue invention, a sensor that lets concrete “talk,” is set to be trialled on a growing number of U.S. interstates, promising to reduce construction time, frequency of repairs, and the carbon footprint of roads.Purdue’s invention for reducing road repairs is being considered by interstates across the United States.A growing number of U.S. highways are poised to test an innovative device from Purdue University, which could potentially save taxpayers millions of dollars and substantially lessen traffic congestion.The…

PixelOpus, a small in-house studio within PlayStation Studios, is closing down next month. In a statement to Engadget, a PlayStation representative confirmed, “PlayStation Studios regularly evaluates its portfolio and the status of studio projects to ensure they meet the organization’s short and long-term strategic objectives. As part of a recent review process, it has been decided that PixelOpus will close on June 2.” Earlier today, the studio tweeted that its “adventure has come to an end.” The developer of imaginative…

“Thing is, I can just picture him meeting some girl, and getting involved in some wild folly…” Paul Chadwick is one of the cornerstones of Dark Horse’s creator-owned comics. Hell, he can be considered part of the foundation since his Concrete appeared in the very first issue of Dark Horse Presents. Like Stan Sakai, I think his work definitely should be talked about much more often. Concrete as a series is a bit of a weird one. Despite the titular character having an artificial body, his mind being placed there by aliens,…

Washington State University researchers developed a carbon-negative concrete formula by infusing cement with biochar, reducing the industry’s carbon emissions. This environmentally friendly concrete reaches strength comparable to regular cement while absorbing up to 23% of its weight in CO2 from the air.Washington State University researchers have developed a carbon-negative, eco-friendly concrete formula that is almost as strong as traditional concrete.In a proof-of-concept work, the researchers at Washington State…

Concrete is one of the most common materials on Earth, thanks to its high strength and low cost – but it’s also one of the largest single sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Engineers at Washington State University (WSU) have developed a new method for making concrete that absorbs more carbon than it emits.The process of making cement requires very high temperatures, and that usually requires burning fuels which, of course, emits CO2. That can be partly offset by switching to renewable energy sources, but chemical…

By David L. Chandler, Massachusetts Institute of Technology April 11, 2023Introducing additives to concrete manufacturing processes could reduce the sizeable carbon footprint of the material without altering its bulk mechanical properties, an MIT study shows.<span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>MIT</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>MIT is an acronym for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious…

The UK’s first electric concrete mixer has successfully completed a three-month trial of commercial deliveries – a big symbolic step for the UK construction industry. The electric ready-mix concrete mixer ran commercial deliveries across Birmingham for UK-based sustainable construction materials firm Tarmac, and it operated out of its rail-fed Birmingham Plant at Washwood Heath. The mixer is part of the company’s strategy to offer decarbonized last-mile transport for construction projects.…

Production of the cement used in concrete is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, which is why some people have tried replacing it with fly ash. A new technique makes that fly ash more eco-friendly itself, resulting in concrete which is both greener and stronger.When producing widely used Portland-style cement, calcium and other ingredients must be heated to very high temperatures. It has been estimated that the processes by which that heat is generated are responsible for 5% to 8% of all human-made CO2…

Concrete has been used in construction for thousands of years, it's everywhere. But its production is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, and we've seen much research aimed at reducing its environmental impact. One such project spun out of VTT Finland is looking to make concrete manufacture carbon negative.The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has been looking into the negative effects of carbonation – the slow process where carbon dioxide gets reabsorbed by concrete over time and can lead to the…

Scientists at the University of Manchester in the UK have developed a new potato-based concrete called StarCrete, which they say could be used to build structures on Mars. The new material utilizes a very simple recipe, which the scientists say would be easy to replicate on the surface of the Red Planet. It’s a huge change from previous proposals, which have advised using blood and urine to build on Mars.  But how exactly does a potato-based concrete like StarCrete come to life? According to a paper on the new…