Produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications
A University of Maryland engineer has been awarded a $735,000 grant by the auto recycling industry to develop renewable construction materials from residue produced during the process of auto shredding.
The program is part of a Biden administration effort to reduce the environmental impact of construction and materials, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The new materials will be designed to meet criteria set by the Federal Highway Administration’s Low-Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) program.
"The auto industry represents one of the largest contributors of recyclable material with significant potential in developing innovative LCTM,” said Dimitrios Goulias, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Our work aims to help realize that potential."
He will conduct experiments using a scanning electron microscope on the use of Auto Shredder Residue (ASR) as an “eco-aggregate” in concrete and asphalt mixtures. The goal of this compositional analysis will be to understand fully the properties of ASR and ensure consistency and interactions at the tiniest level with traditional infrastructure materials.
Goulias will also work with the study’s industry sponsors to strategize ways to boost market penetration. Developing ASR-based materials will not only help reduce emissions related to construction but can help keep used car parts out of the landfill by growing the market for auto recycling materials.
Much of his recent work has focused on emerging technologies and non-destructive testing of physical infrastructure.
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