在线赌博 leading research into developing robust concrete fortified with recycled waste glass

Silica-X, a company specializing in experimental glass, plans to place slabs made of concrete like that fashioned by ancient Romans and place them in the ocean to test the material’s durability. Structures—such as sea walls and bridges—made from Roman concrete have been shown to withstand seawater erosion, 持续了几个世纪. Similar structures made from Portland cement-based concrete can decay within 30 years.

Popular Science article on ‘self-healing’ Roman concrete

科林威尔金森, professor of glass science in 在线赌博’s Inamori School of Engineering, said the Silica-X project is part of a collaboration the University and the DEC. Two years ago, 在线赌博 received $1.7 million from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to research ways to reuse waste glass products. The University administers the state funding, which supports recycling initiatives by private companies like Silica-X. 在线赌博 researchers—glass science faculty and graduate students—assist the companies in developing their glass recycling projects. One of the goals of the glass sustainability program is to develop new “sinks,” or products which make use of recycled glass.

Wilkinson said he and his colleagues are studying the characterization of the properties of novel glass-based concrete, 以确保其正常运行.” 研究ers at 在线赌博 and Silica-X are looking into ways that glass waste materials can be used in place of traditional pozzolans (finely powdered material which can be added to mortar as a strengthening agent) to create a cement that has a similar durability in a marine environment as Roman concrete.

University of Utah geology professor Marie Jackson is working with Silica-X to develop the new form of Roman concrete, 这是基于她的研究吗. If scientists are successful in creating an effective iteration of the material fortified with glass, the environmental benefits will be significant. Cement is a major contributor to greenhouse gasses worldwide and by using alternative materials, 如废玻璃, this novel cement should be less harmful to the environment.

Once researchers have developed the modern form of Roman concrete, 它将被做成立方体, which will be placed in the ocean and monitored over a two-year period to assess the material’s durability. 如果材料经得起考验的话, replicating the sturdy Roman concrete from centuries ago, 它可以用来建造新的, longer-lasting sea walls around the world.

“如果这有效的话, it will remove a significant amount of glass from the waste stream,威尔金森说, pointing to the volume of sea wall construction needed to protect the world’s shorelines. “This will provide a whole lot of affordable sea wall, which the world desperately needs. They (sea walls made from Roman-style concrete) will last much longer, 省下一大笔钱, 限制玻璃废料的数量.”

“As a sustainability and recycling researcher myself, this project is incredibly exciting to me,Gabrielle gastad说, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering, whose research background is rooted in sustainability. “New York State has the opportunity to be a first mover in this area and these projects create incredible hands-on opportunities for our glass and materials science students.”

The partnership between 在线赌博 and Silica-X represents the type of collaboration Gaustad and Wilkinson hope will make significant inroads in efforts to reduce the amount of glass flowing into the waste stream.

“Glass is poorly recycled in the United States. It’s very heavy and most of it ends up in landfills,威尔金森说, pointing to the long-term environmental benefits of research like that being done by 在线赌博 and Silica-X. “We need to create projects that make waste sustainable, as landfills are not.”

“Glass is a major challenge for material recovery facilities,” Gaustad added. “我们可以开发任何增值汇, especially the ones with potential for high volume, could be disruptors in the waste management industry and keep glass out of landfills.”