Deep water cooling
Keeping interior spaces cool in summer is much less energy- and carbon efficient than heating them in winter. For this reason, most of the CALGreen provisions for making buildings energy […]
Case Studies
Hedonistic sustainability: sustainability can be fun
In the Middle Ages, alchemists sought in vain to turn base metals into gold. Now all that remains of alchemy is some laboratory equipment. But imaginative urban planning offers a […]
Low-activity waste at Hanford site
The National Academy of Sciences has published our committee’s final report, in which we address the public comments on our previous reports and the study overall. Our committee provided oversight […]
Specifications for high-performance concrete
When I was a graduate student in the 1980s, papers about high-performance concrete nearly always started out by explaining that “high performance” means more than high strength. Then they went […]
I-91 Brattleboro Bridge relied on MacDonald’s expertise
Beton’s Kevin MacDonald designed the concrete mixture proportions and performed thermal control modeling for the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge in Vermont. The bridge took First Place in the Infrastructure Division of […]
Agricultural concrete can be durable
Agricultural concrete must be durable because farm animals generate wastes that are acidic and contain sulfates, chlorides, and other salts. Between the animal wastes and the cleaning that keeps the […]
Engineering student project helps Hmong farmers
Members of the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) got a preview of their new Brussels sprouts harvester last week. HAFA is a cooperative that owns 150 acres near Rosemount, MN. […]
Grout may immobilize radioactive wastes at Hanford
The Tri-City Herald reports that certain radioactive wastes at the Hanford site in Washington State may be treated by mixing them into cement-based grout. The radioactive wastes from the Manhattan […]
Sustainability is fashionable
In addition to my work with Beton, I teach technical writing as part of a two-semester capstone course in the School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas in […]
Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) helped make the St. Croix Crossing a case study in sustainability
The St. Croix Crossing received a Bridge Design Award of Excellence from the Portland Cement Association. The award is based on five criteria: structural design, function, aesthetics, sustainability and economics. Michelle […]