Faculty member Xinyu Zhang is developing a new concrete recipe that would recycle common waste products, lessen greenhouse gases, and even melt snow from roadways and bridges. Working in conjunction with researchers from the University of Alabama under a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Zhang and his colleagues note that concrete comprises nearly 70 percent of all construction materials on a global basis, which points to the potential significance of their research. High on their list of priorities is the use of coal ash as an additive in concrete. Though this material is used occasionally as a concrete additive, most of the material ends up being stored in landfills or ponds, in which state it can leach toxic compounds into the environment. Recycling this waste, a by-product of coal-burning power plants, could have significant environmental advantages.

Their research also involves the production of nanotubes through the use of an iron compound that is heated in microwaves in what the team calls the “poptube” approach. Unlike traditional nanotube development, it does not involve expensive, high temperature chambers filled with inert gases. The resulting carbon nanotubes give concrete additional strength and durability — and even conducting properties. The result could be a concrete recipe that can melt ice from roadways and bridges through the flick of a switch, instead of conventional methods such as plowing and salting.