Advancing concrete infrastructure for better performance and lower CO2

Professor and Head

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Pennsylvania State University

High-performance, low-carbon concrete is critically needed for the expansion and renewal of civil infrastructure that supports people’s quality of life. Two research themes are presented in this talk. First, we will examine ways to make ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) more affordable and widely adopted by reducing its cost while maintaining its tensile strength and ductility. This is achieved by engineering the fiber reinforcement (type, geometry, distribution, bond) to minimize the fiber content required to produce strain hardening in tension.

In parallel, the risk of restrained shrinkage cracking in UHPC is quantified and mitigated via internal curing. The second theme discusses various strategies for decarbonizing concrete. Here, we will focus primarily on two technologies: (1) Direct air capture and mineralization of CO2 within Ca-rich cementitious materials that are then used to produce carbon-negative geopolymer concrete; and (2) Use of bio-sequestered CO2 – in the form of biochar – as lightweight aggregate and mineral filler to produce carbon-neutral concrete.

Dr. Farshad Rajabipour is a Chaired Professor and the Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State University. He is also the Director of the USDOT’s CIAMTIS university transportation center, which focuses on improving the Durability and extending the Life of Transportation Infrastructure.

He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, with an emphasis on cementitious materials. He has 24 years of experience in teaching and research, supporting the development of sustainable and transformative concrete materials used in buildings and civil infrastructure. He is a fellow of the American Concrete Institute and the co-Editor-in-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.