AMHERST
— More than 37% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the
billions of tons of concrete, asphalt, steel, glass and other construction
materials used in buildings and other infrastructure projects, according to
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates.
For steel manufacturers to
better understand their carbon footprint and their environmental impacts,
researchers at the University of Massachusetts are using a $6.37 million,
five-year federal grant to create a generator tool that will make greenhouse gas
data more transparent, trustworthy and accessible to the industry.
Kara Peterman, associate
professor of civil and environmental engineering at UMass, is the lead
researcher, working with three graduate students, to develop the tool that
could transform the industry.
“We’re trying to recalibrate
the industry,” Peterman said, explaining that five years of funding could
propel the industry 50 years into the future.
Currently, the environmental
impact of construction materials is described in a document called an
environmental product declaration, or EPDs. These documents describe the whole
life cycle of the product, including energy requirements, greenhouse gas
emissions and the ultimate carbon footprint.
At its core, the UMass work
will help steel manufacturers both create EPDs in their own work and access the
data contained in EPDs from other companies. That, in turn, should lead to more
sustainable purchasing decisions by allowing buyers to compare products,
Peterman said.
EPDs are currently made by
individual manufacturers, are expensive to make and generally rely on
self-reporting of data supporting the EPD. The EPD generator tool created at
UMass, in contrast, will provide access, transparency and standardization to
the EPD process, allowing manufacturers of any size and of any steel product to
generate such a document. Companies will be able to use the EPD generator tool
for free.
“The ultimate goal is more
and better EPDs,” Peterman said. “There are thousands of steel makers in the
United States and we want to expand access to data and software so that every
single one of them can have an EPD.”
She said the UMass team’s
focus will be on data collection, developing data standards, and researching
the life cycle environmental impact of raw materials and energy inputs to the
steelmaking process.
“We aim to expand and
improve the quality of primary and secondary data available for use in EPDs. We
will also be supporting development of educational resources for students,
steelmakers and structural engineers, with the goal of retraining the workforce
in sustainable steel construction practices.”
UMass is one of four
recipients in New England getting more than $18 million in grants through the
Biden administration using money from the Inflation Reduction Act, with a goal
of both reporting and reducing climate pollution from the manufacturing of
construction materials.
While the United States
already leads the world in the production of clean construction materials, the
expectation is that this will help further reduce climate pollution by helping
businesses measure the carbon emissions associated with extracting,
transporting and manufacturing their products. It also supports President
Biden’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, creating demand for clean construction
materials that are used in federal buildings, highways and infrastructure
projects.
According to the EPA, the
investments in data and tools will make high-quality EPDs available for 14
material categories, including both new and salvaged or reused materials. These
efforts will help standardize and expand the market for construction products
with lower greenhouse gas emissions. They will make it easier for federal,
state and local governments and other institutional buyers to ensure the
construction projects they fund use more climate-friendly products and
materials.
EPA Deputy Administrator
Janet McCabe said in a statement that cleaner construction materials like
concrete and steel are increasingly essential for the nation’s prosperity.
“These historic investments
will expand market access for a new generation of more climate-friendly
construction materials, and further grow American jobs that are paving the way
to the clean energy economy,” McCabe said.
Regional Administrator David
W. Cash said in a statement that supporting the development and use of cleaner
construction materials improves quality of life and combats climate change.
“These projects are paving the way for a more sustainable future, ensuring that
our children and grandchildren can thrive in a cleaner and healthier New
England,” Cash said.
UMass is partnering with the
American Iron and Steel Institute and the American Institute of Steel
Construction in creating the EPD generator tool that can be used by a broader
range of manufacturers and fabricators, particularly small businesses, and
creating a public-facing EPD repository for stakeholders to access high-quality
data.
“The ultimate goal is more
and better EPDs,” Peterman said. “There are thousands of steel makers in the
United States and we want to expand access to data and software so that every
single one of them can have an EPD.”