(Research) Ongoing
2024–2027
Low-carbon concrete
New mixes that cut the carbon of concrete by half, tested on a pavilion on campus.
- Lead:
- Dr. Ava Collins
- College:
- College of Science and Engineering
- Period:
- 2024–2027
- Status:
- Ongoing
(01) The project
The story so far
Concrete is the most used material on earth after water, and cement alone produces about eight percent of global emissions. Most of that carbon comes from one ingredient: clinker.
The project replaces up to half of the clinker with calcined clay and limestone, then tests how the mixes cure, crack, carry load, and age through hot, dry desert summers.
In 2025, students and researchers poured a pavilion on campus with the first mix. Sensors inside the walls have recorded heat exposure through summer, and the results inform the next generation of mixes.
(Partners)
- Southern Utah construction materials network (fictional)
- St. George School materials lab
- College of Architecture and Design
