Study: Methane leaks from gas drilling not huge

Drilling and fracking for natural gas don't seem to spew immense amounts of the greenhouse gas methane into the air, as has been feared, a new study says.

Read more at Associated Press.

Commissioner Zelle shares vision for MnDOT

Commissioner Zelle of the Minnesota Department of Transportation shares his vision for the agency and transportation in the state in the most recent e-newsletter of the Center for Transportation Studies.

Among the things he envisions: "We need to ensure that people understand what we do and why we do it, and not hide under a veil of complication."

Read more in the April 2013 CTS Catalyst.

Concrete Goes To College

Concrete is one of the oldest materials on the planet, but it has taken thousands of years for it to mature. Scientists have only begun to decode how concrete behaves at the atomic level. Those molecular structures are yielding new clues that could change the way industry builds.

Read more at ENR: Engineering News Record.

Rice University-led researchers create 'coated sand'

Researchers at Rice University have created 'coated sand' using nanomaterials to enhance plain sand for filtering and enhance properties for water purification.

Read more in the Houston Business Journal.

Labs give UMD engineering students concrete skills application

With a bang, the 6-inch-thick solid concrete beam finally gave way.

It performed better than the students who made it using their own formula had expected. The beam had withstood nearly 8,000 pounds per square inch before breaking, rather than the 2,400 pounds per square inch expected.

Read more about UMD engineering students for a limited time at Duluth News Tribune.

Concrete Recycling May Cut Highway Construction Cost, Landfill Use

Purdue University civil engineers are working with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to perfect the use of recycled concrete for highway construction, a strategy that could reduce material costs by as much as 20 percent. . . .

"Some parts of Indiana have plenty of quarries near highway construction sites," said Nancy Whiting, a scientiest with the Applied Concrete Research Initiative at Purdue's School of Civil Engineering. "In other places, it's more difficult to find quality aggregate. If you have to drive 50 or 100 miles to get a good quality aggregate, it's going to be much more cost effective to use recycled materials by crushing the concrete you have in place."

Read more on the Environmental Protection website (not the EPA).

Outstanding Creativity at Lakehead University Yields Stronger Concrete

THUNDER BAY – A green cement additive that shows potential to significantly strengthen concrete and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been licensed to GreenCentre Canada by Lakehead University. . . .


The technology, developed by Dr. Lionel Catalan (Chemical Engineering) and Dr. Stephen Kinrade (Chemistry), can potentially increase concrete strength by up to 40 percent and reduce the amount of Portland cement needed to make concrete. “This technology is exciting because it has the potential to create a better product for industry while also benefiting the environment,” says Dr. Rui Resendes, Executive Director of GreenCentre Canada.


Read more at Net News Ledger.

Duluth’s pavement ‘grinding’ project aims to reduce tire hum

A section of Interstate 35 in Duluth is a testing ground for an unusual concrete-grinding process that’s designed to make tires hum rather than squeal on older concrete pavements.

So far, the noise-reduction process, which applies to decades-old concrete surfaces that produce high-pitched tire noise when cars zoom by, appears to be working as advertised.

But there’s a catch: It’s more expensive than traditional concrete diamond grinding, so its application is limited.

Concrete insiders call it a “Next Generation Concrete Surface” or NGCS project. It was used on a 3.7-mile portion of I-35 between Boundary Avenue and Cody Street near Duluth as part of a larger I-35 improvement project

Read more at Finance & Commerce.

Photo by MnDOT

BASF Announces Breakthrough in Concrete Repair

The Building Systems business of BASF's Construction Chemicals division today announced the launch of ZERO-C Concrete Repair Technology, a line of cementitious repair mortars that exhibit no cracking when tested in accordance with ASTM C1581. ZERO-C is the first concrete repair material formulated and proven to eliminate material cracking.

The problem of cracking in concrete repair does not have a simple solution; cracking in concrete is influenced by many factors. Scientists at BASF have unlocked the solution, addressing four critical material properties by utilizing state-of-the-art chemistry to create a new level of performance and the next generation of concrete repair.

Evaluating crack performance requires consideration of all forces that influence cracking. The newest and most reliable scientific test for measuring crack resistance in concrete repair materials is ASTM C1581, commonly known as the "Ring Test." ZERO-C is the industry's first product to exceed both ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and ICRI (International Concrete Repair Institute) requirements for "low cracking potential products" showing no cracking at 60 days when tested according to The Ring Test.

In addition to crack resistance, ZERO-C's patent pending mix-and-match material design brings simplicity to the job site. A single base mortar can be modified by using different liquids to change the material consistency as project demands change, reducing the number of materials that have to be stored on the job site. Additionally, the weatherproof, recyclable mortar bags with handles eliminate solid waste and make bags easier to carry. The durable liquid pouches are tough enough to prevent damage, yet they are made with 50% less plastic than jugs. The pouches fold flat when empty to create less waste and lower disposal costs on site.

Source: PR Newswire