NSF Award
2331975
Non-technical description: The building and demolition industry is a major contributor to energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, accounting for 38% of global carbon emissions in 2019. Of particular concern is the demolition sector, which contributes significantly to these emissions due to energy-intensive activities that involve heavy machinery, consuming substantial amounts of diesel fuel. This reliance on machinery results in significant emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the demolition phase generates more than 90% of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, including materials like concrete and steel with a high carbon footprint. When disposed of in landfills, these materials emit substantial embodied carbon emissions. However, proper management can recover around 90% of demolition waste, presenting a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions through recycling and reuse. Despite the potential for significant carbon savings, little research has focused on the carbon footprint of the demolition industry. Prior climate change research in the construction industry has mainly centered on minimizing carbon emissions during the construction phase, leaving the demolition phase largely unexplored. To fully understand and mitigate the impact of demolition operations on climate change, empirical studies on the carbon footprint of demolition are crucial. This project aims to fill this knowledge gap by organizing a workshop and site visits to build collaboration with demolition contractors and HBCU researchers. Case studies of demolition projects will be developed to demonstrate the need for sustainable demolition practices and facilitate discussions during the workshop. Overall, this project will identify critical research questions, focusing on equipment activities, fuel consumption, and recyclable materials, to understand the relationship between demolition processes and carbon generation and yield academia-industry partnerships to support research addressing them. Furthermore, collaborations with HBCUs and demolition contractors will promote diversity and inclusivity in STEM research and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive workforce in the demolition industry.<br/><br/>Technical description: The building and demolition industry is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, with the demolition sector being particularly significant due to its energy-intensive activities, such as heavy machinery use. In addition, more than 90% of construction and demolition waste is generated during the demolition phase, and proper management of this waste presents a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions through recycling and reuse. This HBCU EiR Planning Grant proposal aims to develop a collaborative network between demolition contractors and researchers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to identify research questions related to sustainable demolition practices in preparation for an HBCU EiR proposal where we will propose an innovative demolition planning method to minimize its carbon footprint. The proposed activities of this planning grant include 1) developing case studies of demolition projects to facilitate discussion among collaborators, where the carbon footprint of the projects is captured with respect to equipment activities and resulting amounts of recyclable/reusable materials; 2) organizing a two-day academia-industry workshop where we will invite local demolition contractors and HBCU researchers to evaluate demolition activities critical to carbon generation and material recycling and identify research questions and potential research areas; and 3) visiting potential collaborators' demolition sites to better understand their operational practices and develop a collaboration plan with demolition contractors and HBCU researchers for the planned HBCU EiR project. Through these activities, the team will identify fundamental knowledge gaps present in sustainable demolition practices and generate a proposal to minimize carbon emissions in the demolition industry against climate change. This project holds significant intellectual merit as it fosters academia-industry collaborations for impactful research (i.e., supported with empirical case studies available from such collaborations) in sustainable demolition practices.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
