Guiding the design and application of new materials for enhancing sustainability performance: Framework and infrastructu
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Guiding the design and application of new materials for enhancing sustainability performance: Framework and infrastructure application Gregory A. Keoleian1, Alissa M. Kendall1, Michael D. Lepech2 and Victor C. Li2 1 Center for Sustainable Systems, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1041 U.S.A 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-2125 U.S.A ABSTRACT This paper presents a framework for guiding the design of new materials to enhance the sustainability of systems that utilize these materials throughout their production, use and retirement. Traditionally, materials engineering has focused on the interplay between material microstructure, physical properties, processing, and performance. Environmental impacts related to the system’s life cycle are not well integrated into the materials engineering process. To address this shortcoming, a new methodology has been developed that incorporates social, economic, and environmental indicators – the three dimensions of sustainability. The proposed framework accomplishes this task and provides a critical tool for use across a broad class of materials and applications. Material properties strongly shape and control sustainability performance throughout each life cycle stage including materials production, manufacturing, use and end-of-life management. Key material parameters that influence life cycle energy, emissions, and costs are highlighted. The proposed framework is demonstrated in the design of engineered cementitious composites, which are materials being developed for civil infrastructure applications including bridges, roads, pipe and buildings. This research is part of an NSF MUSES (Materials Use: Science, Engineering and Society) Biocomplexity project on sustainable concrete infrastructure materials and systems (http://sci.umich.edu). INTRODUCTION Sustainability Challenge for New Materials and MUSES Sustainability in use of material resources has three components: (1) relationship between rate of resource consumption and the overall stock of resources, (2) effectiveness of resource use in providing essential services, and (3) the proportion of resources that leak from the economy and their impacts on the environment. There are a number of indicators raising concerns about the sustainability of materials use in the U.S. and globally [1]. For example, consumption of raw materials in the United States rose from 2 to 2.8 billion metric tons from 1970 to 1995, while world consumption nearly doubled from 5.7 billion to 9.5 billion metric tons. On a weight basis, the use of nonrenewable materials has increased dramatically (from 69% to 95% over the last century) as the U.S. economy shifted from an agricultural to industrial base. Furthermore, the ratio of global reserves over present mine production rates is an indicator of the adequacy of mineral supply and ranges from over a century (e.g., iron ore
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