7. Low carbon concrete presentation — original pdf

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City of Austin Plan to Transition to Low – Embodied Carbon Concrete In Pursuit of a Carbon Neutral Austin Office of the City Engineer January 2024 Austin o The use of traditional cements and concretes and construction with concrete has a huge impact on the sustainability of most of our built environment and infrastructure. o We must work together to affect change to be successful developing a future in which we all want to live. o The City of Austin has an opportunity to take a leading role in the movement toward more sustainable infrastructure. o The Austin City Council has passed a Resolution that empowers us to begin walking the path toward more sustainable concrete. 2 Climate Change and CO2 Emissions Industry, 14% Electricity, 28% Agriculture, 9% Commercial & Residential, 12% Concrete, 8% Transportation 29% Year 1990 2005 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 33.5 46.2 40.3 39.0 40.9 40.7 41.3 33,484 46,194 40,324 38,971 40,896 40,888 41,312 MMT CO2 Eq. kt • Cement industry is responsible for about 8% of carbon dioxide emissions • Carbon dioxide emissions from cement production increased by 23.4% from 1990 through 2021. 3 4 Buy Clean Policies and Legislation Federal, State, and Local Initiatives White House Buy Clean Actions Announced September 15th, 2022. Administration Goal: Net-zero emissions by 2050 and a 50-52% reduction by 2030. Prioritize the Federal Government’s purchase of steel, concrete, asphalt and flat glass that have lower levels of emissions. Expand lower-carbon construction materials used in federally-funded projects. Convene states to partner on Buy Clean. Increase data transparency through supplier reporting to track and reduce emissions. Launch pilot programs to advance federal procurement of clean construction materials. Expand the Buy Clean Task Force to eight more federal agencies (total of 17 now). The US Department of Transportation policy statement (issued September 15th, 2022), “…the U.S. Department of Transportation will launch a Buy Clean Initiative that will assess and address the embodied carbon emissions that come from the engineering, design, construction, procurement, maintenance, and disposal of transportation projects" 1. The Department will explore the use of Environmental Product Declarations, which are transparent, verified reports used to communicate the environmental impacts of construction materials. Standardized reporting would help industry to confidently move forward in investing in the production of clean and reliable materials. 5 Concrete Sustainability Initiatives Material Transparency: Environmental Product Declarations Nutrition Label EPD 6 City of Austin City Council Resolution Resolution 20230420-024 passed on April 20, 2023 City of Austin Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete Initiative Develop an initial plan to progress toward Low- Embodied Carbon Concrete by November 30, 2023 1) Provide Concrete Tracking that a) Identifies how much concrete is used and it’s impact b) Require the use of EPDs to influence and encourage more sustainable concrete production c) Strategy to review, pilot, and approve alternative, more sustainable concrete mix designs 2) Establish specifications and designs that allow for meeting the need for lower-embodied carbon concrete. 3) Provide annual report to City Council on progress toward the overall goal of more sustainable concrete. 7 City of Austin Plan Concrete Industry Leaders Launched in 2021, NEU was established by the American Concrete Institute to collaborate globally to drive research, education, awareness, and adoption of the use of carbon-neutral materials and technologies in the built environment. The American Concrete Institute is a leading global authority for the development, dissemination, and adoption of its consensus-based standards, technical resources, and educational, training, & certification programs. Founded in 1904, ACI is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA, with a regional office in Dubai, UAE, and resource centers in Southern California and Chicago/Midwest. ACI has over 94 chapters, 244 student chapters, and 30,000 members spanning over 120 countries. Founded in 1930, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association is the leading industry advocate. Our mission is to provide exceptional value for our members by responsibly representing and serving the entire ready mixed concrete industry through leadership, promotion, education and partnering to ensure ready mixed concrete is the building material of choice. 8 City of Austin Plan Internal Collaboration and Reviews • April – July, 2023 • June 21, 2023 • July 7, 2023 Meeting and discussions with the COA internal Stakeholders, and the Industry experts Plan draft kick-off meeting and presentation Comments were due to the Office of the TPWD City Engineer (OCE). • July 7 – July 30, 2023 the Comments revisions and plan finalizing by OCE, providing feedback to COA stakeholders. • August 1 – Sept 14 2023 TPWD Executive Team review and commenting, Discussion with the CDS Executive team. • August 18 – Aug 31, 2023 OCE addresses the Executive team comments • September 14, 2023 Plan was sent to the ACM Robert Goode 9 City of Austin Plan Carbon Footprint Loosely defined, a carbon footprint is a measure of how many greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions a person, organization, event, or product produces. However, carbon footprints are often simplified by measuring only the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced. When evaluating the carbon footprint of concrete usage, it is important to recognize the difference between cement and concrete. While cement is an energy-intensive product, concrete is one of the world’s most CO2-efficient and sustainable construction materials. It is the volume used that adds up. CO2 emissions from a cement plant are divided into two source categories: • Combustion (40% of emissions) – heat used • Calcination (60% of emissions) – CO2 released The combustion-generated CO2 emissions are related to fuel use. The CO2 emissions due to calcination are formed when the raw materials (mostly limestone and clay) are heated to more than 2500°F and CO2 is liberated from the decomposed minerals. 10 City of Austin Plan Major Components of Concrete Use and Reporting Structure (A) CIP projects concrete/cement (B) In-house projects concrete/cement (C) Cement Bags and Bulk Raw Cement purchases (relatively small) (D) Precast Concrete Components (pipes, beams, manholes, etc.) Total COA Concrete & Cement Usage City Council City Manager Reporting By December 31st of 2024 TPW Office of The City Engineer Reporting By December 1st of 2024 Concrete providers Reporting Quarterly City Departments (Operational usage) Reporting Quarterly 11 City of Austin Plan Table of Concrete Production by Quarters Quarterly Usage Reported by Concrete Producers & Volumetric Trucks Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY23 2022 2023 2023 2023 Annual Oct – Dec Jan – Mar Apr – Jun Jul – Sep Total Concrete (CY) 99,176 132,954 124,360 132,029 488,519 Total Cement (lbs) 40,669,218 51,699,402 49,955,542 50,455,808 192,779,970 Approx. CO2 (lbs) 36,603,000 46,529,462 44,959,988 45,410,227 173,501,973 Approx. CO2 (MMT) 16,638 21,150 20,436 20,641 78,700 12 City of Austin Plan Concrete Pavement and Bridge Life-Cycle Stages Product Stage Construction Stage Use Stage End of Life Stage A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 B1 - B7 C1 C2 C3 - C4 Extract and process raw materials Transport all materials to concrete plant Manufacture concrete Transport to paving project Construct pavement Use and maintain the pavement Remove pavement or recycle in- place Haul away waste materials Waste processing and disposal current emphasis 13 City of Austin Plan Type III ISO 14025 Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) 14 City of Austin Plan Informing the Concrete Mix Producers • May 1st, 2023 1st communication via emails and letters about City Council Resolution • June 20th, 2023 EPD survey to 12 Producers (3 replied) • August 21st, 2023 2nd communication via emails and letters about COA Office of the City Engineer plan to EPD implementation Effective FY 2025, all concrete producers operating within the City of Austin will be required to submit product specific Type III EPDs as defined in ISO standard 14025 for their concrete mixes. These EPDs must be third-party verified by an accredited organization. The EPDs will be reviewed by the OCE to ensure compliance with the established standards and requirements. Preliminary Phase: October 2023- September 2024. During this phase, we encourage concrete producers to familiarize themselves with the EPD requirements, including the type of EPD, environmental impact categories and the EPD format. EPD Submission Phase: Mandatory Starting October 1, 2024. Set Baselines & Initial Targets: OCE will be working with NRCMA and ACI to establish the minimum EPD requirements (baseline) for concrete mixes used in the Austin area by end of the FY-25, that will be revised periodically and based on industry 15 advancement. City of Austin Plan Dear Concrete Producer, Partnering with Concrete Industry Leaders for Success I wanted to remind you of the upcoming mandatory Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Submission Phase starting October 1, 2024. As part of the Austin City Council's commitment to environmental sustainability, the Office of the City Engineer (OCE) is enforcing the requirement for EPDs for concrete mixes used in City projects. During this phase, concrete producers are required to submit completed EPDs for each mix design to the OCE. For assistance in generating EPDs, Brian Davis, North America Sales at Climate Earth Inc., is available to help. You can contact Brian at 510-831-6350 or brian@climateearth.com. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to working together to promote and implement sustainable practices, ensuring a livable and environmentally healthy Austin for future generations. FY 2024-FY 2029 Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products Texas produces the most concrete in the US, equal to the combined sum of concrete produced in both #2 (California) and #3 (Florida). We are supportive of TACA’s goal to increase awareness and significantly increase the number of plants in Texas with EPD capabilities. With these financial incentives available to the 1000 plants in Texas we will encourage smaller companies and plants located in the remote areas where government agencies are building to develop EPDs. 16 Who Will Lead the Way to Sustainability? For decades our City specifications have been highly based on TxDOT specs. However, it appears that the State of Texas and TxDOT are not as progressive specifically regarding sustainable concrete. Thus, to succeed here we must get ahead of the Texas curve. Please note: In all fairness to TxDOT, we believe they are a strong and capable agency; however, concrete sustainability is one area in which we cannot remain in their “shadow.” 17 City of Austin Plan Summary of plan Our General Plan of Action 1) Suggested a protocol on how to establish the City of Austin’s (COA) carbon footprint and to track it on an annual basis moving forward – Resolution Task (1a).Introduced a plan to implement Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) – Resolution Task (1b).Based on the above steps completion, we will develop a process to allow for low-embodied carbon, sustainable, and innovative concrete mix designs, materials, aggregates, and admixtures – Resolution Task (1c). 2) Will revise the concrete specifications to encourage more environmentally friendly mixes – Resolution Task (2). Revision of the City purchasing and contracting documents are recommended and needed. 3) Annually summarize progress to City Council – Resolution Task (3). Note: this plan is not for particular type of concrete mix – flat work vs vertical construction. Rather it is laying the foundation for all concrete mixes to be supplemented with EPDs that will allow us to create a “moving acceptance threshold”. Progressively, to transition to a Carbon Neutral Austin, higher carbon concrete mixes will not be accepted. 18 Thank you! We are asking for your support Ed Poppitt PE, Consulting Engineer ed.poppitt@austintexas.gov Angela N. Johnson PE, PhD, Managing Engineer angela.n.johnson@austintexas.gov Office of the City Engineer Transportation and Public Works Department City of Austin The course is already well charted. Let’s get going 19