PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

'Green' concrete developed at Louisiana Tech University on display at Detroit Science Center

2010-09-29
(Press-News.org) RUSTON, La. – Geopolymer concrete, an innovative and environmentally-friendly building material developed at Louisiana Tech University's Trenchless Technology Center (TTC), will be featured in a transportation exhibition taking place at the Detroit Science Center.

Developed by Dr. Erez Allouche, research director for the TTC, and his team, geopolymer concrete is an emerging class of cementitious materials that utilize "fly ash", one of the most abundant industrial by-products, as a substitute for Portland cement, the most widely produced man-made material on earth.

"Presenting geopolymer concrete at a widely-attended public exhibition provides essential exposure to this emerging green construction technology," said Allouche. "If the public is aware that there are more sustainable ways to construct our highways and bridges, it will expect its government agencies to explore and promote these 'greener' technologies."

"This sort of influence is essential for new materials, such as geopolymer concretes, to overcome the multitude of bureaucratic barriers that exist between the laboratory and the construction site."

In comparison to ordinary Portland cement, geopolymer concrete features greater corrosion resistance, substantially higher fire resistance (up to 2400° F), high compressive and tensile strengths, a rapid strength gain, and lower shrinkage.

The fly ash used in the specimen for the Detroit Science Center exhibit was obtained from Cleco Power's Dolet Hills coal-fired power station near Mansfield, Louisiana. Mr. Ivan Diaz-Loya oversaw the preparation of the mix design and cast with the assistance of TTC technicians Chris Morgan and Ben Curry.

"Geopolymer concrete technology is here to stay," Allouche said. "We expect to see a growing number of commercial applications of this green and innovative technology across the construction industry, with applications in the area of transportation infrastructure leading the way."

Allouche says the Alternative Cementitious Material research group at the TTC is one of the top groups in the country in this field and will be a key player in the development and commercialization of geopolymer concrete technology for years to come.

Geopolymer concrete's greatest appeal may be its life cycle greenhouse gas reduction potential – as much as 90% when compared with ordinary Portland cement. Researchers at the TTC continue to work on ways to replace Portland cement with cementitious binders made from industrial waste. Some next generation geopolymer concrete could last several times longer than ordinary concrete.

INFORMATION:

Louisiana Tech's Trenchless Technology Center promotes research, development and technology transfer in the trenchless technology industry, and educates engineers, contractors, and government agencies about the availability and capability of trenchless methods for the solution of complex underground infrastructure problems.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

WMS endorses emergency treatment of anaphylaxis by trained non-medical professionals

2010-09-29
Philadelphia, PA, September 28, 2010 – The Epinephrine Roundtable was convened during the 25th Annual Meeting of the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) in 2008 to explore areas of consensus and uncertainty in the field treatment of anaphylaxis. The panel endorsed the administration of epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis in the field under emergency conditions by trained non-medical professionals. Anaphylaxis, an acute allergic reaction, is sudden in onset and requires immediate treatment. The recommendations of the panel are published in the September issue of Wilderness & Environmental ...

'Firefly' stem cells may help repair damaged hearts

Firefly stem cells may help repair damaged hearts
2010-09-29
Stem cells that glow like fireflies could someday help doctors heal damaged hearts without cutting into patients' chests. In his University of Central Florida lab, Steven Ebert engineered stem cells with the same enzyme that makes fireflies glow. The "firefly" stem cells glow brighter and brighter as they develop into healthy heart muscle, allowing doctors to track whether and where the stem cells are working. Researchers are keenly interested in stem cells because they typically morph into the organs where they are transplanted. But why and how fast they do it is ...

Individual mutations are very slow to promote tumor growth

2010-09-29
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 28, 2010 -- Individual cancer-causing mutations have a minute effect on tumor growth, increasing the rate of cell division by just 0.4 percent on average, according to new mathematical modeling by scientists at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and other institutions. Their research, appearing this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reinforces that cancer is the culmination of many accumulated mutations. It also highlights the fundamental heterogeneity and randomness of many cancers, consistent with the observations ...

Rebels without applause: New study on peer victimization

2010-09-29
Montreal September 28, 2010 – Loners and antisocial kids who reject other children are often bullied at school – an accepted form of punishment from peers as they establish social order. Such peer victimization may be an extreme group response to control renegades, according to a new study from Concordia University published in the Journal of Early Adolescence. "For groups to survive, they need to keep their members under control," says author William M. Bukowski, a professor at the Concordia Department of Psychology and director of its Centre for Research in Human Development. ...

New study reveals that insecticides from genetically modified corn are present in adjacent streams

2010-09-29
A new study by University of Notre Dame ecologist Jennifer Tank and colleagues reveals that streams throughout the Midwest are receiving transgenic materials from corn crop byproducts, even six months after harvest. Transgenic maize (corn) has been genetically engineered to produce its own insecticide, a delta endotoxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bt endotoxins deter crop pests, such as the European corn borer. In a 2007 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), Tank and a group of researchers demonstrated that transgenic ...

Certain psychiatric disorders linked with risky sexual behavior in teens

2010-09-29
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – Although research has shown that teens with mental health disorders are more likely to engage in high risk sexual behaviors, like unprotected sex, a new study from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center suggests there is an additional risk associated with certain psychiatric diagnoses. According to researchers, teens who experience the manic phase of bipolar disorder – which is marked by dramatic mood swings from euphoria and elation to irritability – are more sexually active, have more sexual partners and are more likely to have a sexually ...

CWRU's e-SMART technologies may help young adults self-manage mental illness

2010-09-29
While many young adults will share the details of their daily lives with dozens – sometimes hundreds – of friends on Facebook, communicating with their health care providers about mental illness is another story. "Roughly one in every five young adults between 18 and 25 has a mental illness," says Melissa Pinto-Foltz, a postdoctoral scholar and instructor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. "Seventy percent of them don't receive treatment. Of those that do receive treatment, they have trouble managing the illness and often ...

Researchers confirm prenatal heart defects in spinal muscular atrophy cases

2010-09-29
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers believe they have found a critical piece of the puzzle for the treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) – the leading genetic cause of infantile death in the world. Nearly one in 6,000 births has SMA, and it is estimated that nearly one in 30 to 40 people have the trait that leads to SMA. In a new study in Human Molecular Genetics, Christian Lorson, professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology and the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, has found prenatal cardiac defects in mice with SMA. Lorson ...

Researcher gives 'F' to multiculturalism education

2010-09-29
Montreal September 28, 2010 – Multicultural education in classrooms has failed to produce a deeper understanding across cultures, according to a Concordia University researcher. Education professor Adeela Arshad-Ayaz blames teacher training for failing to address issues of diversity and equity. Her recent presentation at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, in Montreal, calls for an alternative approach. "The way we currently teach multiculturalism fails to bring divergent groups together," says Dr. Arshad-Ayaz. "Our present approach is alienating minority ...

Ultrafine air particles may increase firefighters' risk for heart disease

2010-09-29
CINCINNATI—Firefighters are exposed to potentially dangerous levels of ultrafine particulates at the time they are least likely to wear protective breathing equipment. Because of this, researchers believe firefighters may face an increased risk for heart disease from exposures during the fire suppression process. Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American firefighters, with many of these incidents taking place during or just after a firefighting incident. Researchers say exposure to these harmful ultrafine air particulates could predispose firefighters to ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

The refrigerator as a harbinger of a better life

Windfall profits from oil and gas could cover climate payments

Heartier Heinz? How scientists are learning to help tomatoes beat the heat

Breaking carbon–hydrogen bonds to make complex molecules

Sometimes you're the windshield: Utah State University researcher says vehicles cause significant bee deaths

AMS Science Preview: Turbulence & thunderstorms, heat stress, future derechos

Study of mountaineering mice sheds light on evolutionary adaptation

Geologists rewrite textbooks with new insights from the bottom of the Grand Canyon

MSU researcher develops promising new genetic breast cancer model

McCombs announces 2024 Hall of Fame inductees and rising stars

Stalling a disease that could annihilate banana production is a high-return investment in Colombia

Measurements from ‘lost’ Seaglider offer new insights into Antarctic ice melting

Grant to support new research to address alcohol-related partner violence among sexual minorities

Biodiversity change amidst disappearing human traditions

New approaches to synthesize compounds for pharmaceutical research

Cohesion through resilient democratic communities

UC Santa Cruz chemists discover new process to make biodiesel production easier, less energy intensive

MD Anderson launches Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation to deliver transformational new therapies

New quantum encoding methods slash circuit complexity in machine learning

New research promises an unprecedented look at how psychosocial stress affects military service members’ heart health

Faster measurement of response to antibiotic treatment in sepsis patients using Dimeric HNL

Cleveland Clinic announces updated findings in preventive breast cancer vaccine study

Intergenerational effects of adversity on mind-body health: Pathways through the gut-brain axis

Watch this elephant turn a hose into a sophisticated showering tool

Chimpanzees perform better on challenging computer tasks when they have an audience

New medical AI tool identifies more cases of long COVID from patient health records

Heat waves and adverse health events among dually eligible individuals 65 years and older

Catastrophic health expenditures for in-state and out-of-state abortion care

State divorce laws, reproductive care policies, and pregnancy-associated homicide rates

Emerging roles of high-mobility group box-1 in liver disease

[Press-News.org] 'Green' concrete developed at Louisiana Tech University on display at Detroit Science Center