'Concrete Sustainability' Trends at ACI 2022

The phrase, "Hey, how are you" seems to be indicative of the majority of concrete tradeshows, conventions, and conferences. These are collections of like-minded individuals whose top priority is the sharing and betterment of the education of fellow concrete and construction professionals. And this betterment only improves tomorrow's structures, but the clarity and improvement of construction codes. Perhaps ACI President Charles K. Nmai said it best in his opening speech, "When concrete advances, so does every community and home." The ACI Fall Convention took place October 23-27, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. The ACI Spring Convention is scheduled for April 2-6, 2023 in San Francisco, California.  American Concrete Institute | Photo by Jonathan Kozlowski, AC Business Media

Hosted by the ACI Northeast Chapter Convention Committee, the event provides an opportunity for ACI committee meetings to connect in person, industry experts to share their insight in countless seminars, a chance for the graduate students to share their latest research, as well as a tradeshow. Special events included the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction gala, a "Concrete Mixer" brought on by the Northeast Chapter, and receptions allowing concrete professionals to reconnect and network. The keynote speaker was Art delaCruz, Chief Executive Officer of Team Rubicon.

At the top of the announcements during the ACI 2022 Fall Convention, was the organization's International Partnership Agreement with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). During the PROCEMCO (Cartagena, Colombia), ACI and the GCCA formalized their cooperative efforts surrounding the desire to collaboratively develop and disseminate information on concrete, concrete structure, and concrete sustainability. American Concrete Institute | Global Cement and Concrete Association

Considering the reduction of carbon emissions in the production of concrete and concrete construction will take a worldwide effort, this agreement feels like another step toward building stronger together.  International partners of the ACI allow contractors, structural engineers, and construction professionals to increase access to information. 

As a key driver of sustainability in the cement and concrete industry, the GCCA represented 80% of the global production outside of China as well as Chinese producers such as CNBM. The organization launched its 2050 Net Zero Roadmap in 2021 to outline a path to decarbonizing the industry with new technologies, new innovations, and improving efficiency in design and construction. As explained in the ACI's October 24 announcement of the agreement, "This partnership will support dissemination of best practices to enable specification of sustainable concrete and design of lower carbon concrete elements and structures."

It continues:

The agreement with the GCCA is part of ACI’s strategic plan to promote concrete sustainability and the use of ACIs concrete knowledge to assist concrete industry professionals globally to manage increasing requirements for the design of concrete structures. In addition, ACI recently launched NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete. NEU’s members include designers, contractors, material suppliers, as well as consumers and owners of concrete structures. NEU aims to collaborate globally to drive research, education, awareness, and adoption of carbon-neutral materials and technologies in the industry, to reach the goal shared with GCCA – Carbon Neutral Concrete.

—American Concrete Institute, October 24, 2022

Additional announcements from ACI President Nmai included:

• A new Center of Excellence focused on concrete productivity, and
• A third ACI Resource Center is planned to open on the east coast in 2023. Two Resource Centers are already up-and-running located in Chicago and Southern California.

Leadership From a Maverick

Art delaCruz, chief executive officer of Team Rubicon and keynote speaker for the ACI 2022 Fall Convention.American Concrete Institute | Photo by Jonathan Kozlowski, AC Business MediaThe ACI 2022's keynote speech was presented by Art delaCruz, chief executive officer of Team Rubicon and along with a 22-year-long career as a U.S. Navy pilot, a noteworthy achievement was serving as a Topgun instructor. Team Rubicon is a non-profit disaster response team of volunteers that travel to areas in need helping where and how they can. They've assisted in Florida, and Puerto Rico, as well as rebuilding homes in Ukraine. While difficult work, delaCruz and his team see every challenge as an opportunity; he uses this concept as a vehicle to drive (or should I say "fly") the keynote speech further. 

DelaCruz focused on leadership and showed a photo of a small group of fighter jets flying in formation to exemplify the teamwork and leadership he also sees in the work from the members at ACI and the construction professional in attendance. Its this teamwork and passionate leadership that should push us all into the difficult years to come as the industry carves off carbon emissions and works material and skilled labor shortages. 

As one could imagine, clarity is vital for pilots but with challenges like working through a tough economy, material shortages, or even pandemics like Covid, it's not possible for every solution to be 20/20. It's teamwork that will get you through the blurry times. That's where the passion of passionate leaders will help drive the rest of the team to continue. 

American Concrete Institute | Photo by Jonathan Kozlowski, AC Business Media

Exhibiting Innovations

The ACI 2022 Fall Convention included a collection of exhibitors putting their concrete solutions on display. ACI put forth more information on their Foundation, Resource Centers, NEU ACI's Center of Excellence for Carbon-Neutral Concrete, and NEx ACI's Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials. 

Additional exhibitors included:

PS=0 - Designed to eliminate pour strips, PS=0 (Pour Strip Zero) is a mechanical reinforcement splice system that allows for volume change in the slab while providing structural continuity. Representatives say that contractors should be allow subcontractors (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) much sooner allowing work to continue that much faster. The PS=0 system features a tapered threat on one end and grout-filled sleeve on the other. Patented, its an ACI-permitted method of splicing rebar, is ICC-approved, and made in the U.S. 

PT SAW - Understanding that not all jobsites will allow the open flame on site, David Odom, CEO of PT SAW, also knew that concrete contractors will need a way to remove the stressing tail of a post-tension cable. While the most common practice of a PT tail is to burn the end off with an oxygen-acetylene torch, Odom's prototype attaches to a battery-powered tool - allowing one to trim the post-tension in the stressing pocket, affordably and safely via a replaceable blade.   

E5 Liquid Fly Ash - Exhibitor Specification Products featured its E5 Liquid Fly Ash as a substitute of the fly ash material used in concrete. It is designed to replace 120 lbs. of fly ash with 8 oz. of silica (per 100 lbs. weight) and facilitate portland cement reduction up to 15%.

Arcosta Lightweight - As one of the largest producers of rotary kiln expanded shale and clay lightweight aggregate in North America, Arcosta Lightweight's production process takings the raw material and heats it in excess of 2,000º F. This heating opens voids in the material. The lightweight quality of the structural-grade ceramic aggregate allows it to be useful for high rise, metal decking, and precast beams. 

Additional exhibitors can be found listed in the event's program book, downloadable through concrete.org.