UK Universities to Address Waste in Construction Industry

University researchers will be studying how to reduce waste in the construction industry, thanks to a grant from United Kingdom Research and Innovation, a public body that supports research and knowledge exchange in higher education. The organization has issued a £4.35 million grant to a group of researchers.

The "Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials" (ICEC-MCM) will explore how better design and manufacturing of products and structures made from mineral materials (think aggregates, cement and brick) can help the UK's construction industry to reduce waste, lessen pollution, lower costs and do more with less. The goals are threefold: to understand how mineral-based construction materials are used; to develop technologies that allow the industry to recover materials and reduce their environmental impacts; and to develop business, design, financial and policy tools, to support changing practices.

According to Professor Julia Stegemann, a professor of engineering at University College London who will lead the new center, the country "extracts more than half a million tons of construction materials each day," generating some 154 million tons of mineral waste each year. "This is unsustainable," she said in a statement. With plans to spend £600 billion to build infrastructure in the next decade, "we need to find a way to be more efficient."

"We use huge quantities of construction materials in the UK and across the globe. This has a great environmental impact, from extraction of raw materials, through manufacture and processing, to end-of-life demolition," added Leon Black, a professor of infrastructure materials in the University of Leeds School of Civil Engineering. "That approach is no longer sustainable. It wastes too many resources and hampers efforts for the UK to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050."

Leeds will also be involved in the center, along with researchers from Loughborough University, the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, Lancaster University and the British Geological Survey.

The center will bring together the expertise of a cross-disciplinary research team. In addition to the £4.5 million from UKRI, the work will be supported by £1.9 million from 40-plus industrial collaborators and £2 million from other university partners.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Agualta STEAM Engine

    Outdoor Learning Spaces and Biophilic Design Create Community in East Los Angeles

    Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School's Agualta STEAM Engine blends education, community, and nature through its adaptable design.

  • University of Kentucky Integrates New Cleaning Technology

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently installed a new cleaning system designed to improve cooling efficiency on campus, according to a news release. The Facilities Management’s Utilities and Energy Management Unit installed new chiller tubes into two of the chillers at the university’s Central Utility Plant.

  • New Kent State Academic Building Earns LEED Silver Certification

    Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, recently announced that its newest academic building, Crawford Hall, has earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The facility was recognized for its innovative design, water conservation technologies, energy-efficient systems, and sustainable construction materials, among other features.

  • Inglewood Unified School District Breaks Ground on New High School

    The Inglewood Unified School District in Inglewood, Calif., recently broke ground on a new campus for Inglewood High School, according to a news release. The project has a budget of about $240 million, funding coming through bond proceeds from Measure I.

Digital Edition