Mija Hubler News

Building Blocks

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:30:55 +0000

Building Blocks Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/31/2024 - 13:30

Prometheus Materials eyes expansion through increased production

Traditional cement production is responsible for about 7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it a significant contributor to climate change.

So faculty at ��ñ�� started developing a greener alternative. A Department of Defense-funded project launched in 2016 led to the creation of an eco-friendly cement with a minimal carbon footprint, emitting little to no carbon dioxide and recycling 95 percent of the water used in production.

In 2021, they made the move to commercialize the technology as Prometheus Materials. Founded by Associate Professors Sherri Cook, Mija Hubler and Wil Srubar of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, along with Jeff Cameron of biochemistry and CEO Loren Burnett, the Colorado-based company produces bio-concrete from the biomineralization of blue-green algae in a natural process similar to that which creates sea shells and coral reefs.

While initially focused on research and development, the company has since entered a commercialization phase, exploring the establishment of new facilities to transition from a single production line to multiple lines and to increase production, Hubler said.

“We’re in flux,” she said. “We’re dreaming bigger.”

Product development

Hubler said the “most exciting part” is that Prometheus Materials has successfully scaled production and launched a commercial product for the construction industry.

Initially, the team focused on assessing structural performance, particularly compressive strength. That led to the development of their inaugural product — the ProZero Bio-Block Masonry unit.

After constructing a pilot wall, the researchers put their ears to it and were met with a remarkable silence. Further tests confirmed the product’s efficacy in preventing sound from bouncing off or attenuating through walls. This discovery paved the way for another product, ProZero Sound Attenuation units. Potential uses include sound panels in large conference rooms and classrooms.

The researchers also evaluated the product’s suitability for pedestrian and parking surfaces, analyzing its response to environmental moisture. The outcomes were positive, prompting the development of a third product.

Proof points

Mija Hubler with the Prometheus algae-growing system.

But consumers can’t yet walk into a hardware store and buy a ProZero product off the shelf.

While Prometheus Materials has performed some pilot studies with large companies like Microsoft and has discussed potential applications for its products in Microsoft’s offices and warehouses, it will take years before the products will be available in places like Home Depot.

Hubler emphasized that the construction industry prefers “tried and true” materials and is cautious to adopt new ones. Larger construction firms play a crucial role in pioneering and embracing innovative products, serving as trailblazers to introduce these newer products into the market.

But there are multiple reasons why it’s the right time for the company to expand operations.

“The construction industry, building owners and developers are paying a lot more attention to carbon emissions, and our materials have reduced emissions,” Srubar said. “[Another] driver is the trend toward nature-based materials that don’t contain any ‘red list’ chemicals in them.”

Cook added that many companies have ambitious corporate sustainability goals but lack practical means to achieve them. Prometheus Materials provides a tangible avenue for these companies to start realizing their sustainability objectives.

Srubar echoed the strategic importance of working with these firms, whose teams of architects and engineers collaborate in designing and engineering structures using innovative materials.

Off

Traditional

White

The Life Cycle of Construction Materials

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:43:22 +0000

The Life Cycle of Construction Materials Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/15/2023 - 11:43

Dr. Mija Hubler discusses how construction materials have been understood historically and how her research is helping reimagine materials and processes with sustainability in mind as part of Research and Innovation Week.

Hubler, an associate professor the Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering and the Materials Science and Engineering Program was a 2022 Research & Innovation Office Faculty Fellow.

She gave the presentation during ��ñ��’s annual Research & Innovation Week event.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkOSs3ZaW5Q]

Off

Traditional

White

Hubler earns NSF CAREER award to advance living building materials

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 15:03:56 +0000

Hubler earns NSF CAREER award to advance living building materials Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/22/2022 - 09:03

Jonathan Raab

Assistant Professor Mija Hubler

Assistant Professor Mija Hubler is a recipient of a three year, $548,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for her proposal “Mechanical Modeling of Living Building Materials for Structural Applications.”

Major advances are being made in the study of living building materials that can be grown in the laboratory and could replace concrete, a significant driver of CO2 emissions in the construction industry

“This research is about creating a mechanical model for living building material,” Hubler said. “The model will enable the design of structures and the engineering of living building material to achieve the desired performance needed for structural applications.”

NSF CAREER awards support early career faculty who are dedicated to research and education. Hubler is using this project to integrate her education and research goals through the study of mechanics in civil infrastructure materials, as well as to improve the recruitment and retention of female and non-traditional students in research and innovation career tracks.

“These activities can help meet a growing workforce demand and support cross-disciplinary innovation for infrastructure materials,” Hubler said. “I hope to grow interest in research careers from a broad audience in this area in part by working with Colorado Mesa University to engage students there in working with living building materials.”

Hubler said that using living building materials for structural applications will help replace concrete as the main building material used in construction today.

“Living building material does not require cement, which is the binding ingredient of concrete that drives its large carbon footprint,” Hubler said. “It is much more crack resistant than concrete and enables material recycling.”

Alternatives to concrete are of interest to civil engineers and the construction industry to address both building durability concerns and CO2 impact. Although past new construction materials have been rejected due to lacking the mechanical properties and behavior of traditional materials, Hubler said living building materials show major promise.

“I have been inspired to better understand what features of the material control the mechanics to engineer new materials to better meet expectations, and also to develop mechanical models of new construction materials to enable them to be adopted into design practices,” Hubler said.

Hubler believes that the model her group will develop will also be applicable to other novel materials, including reinforced metal foams and stabilized soils. She anticipates developing a practical model for living building materials within the next two years, with a five-year goal of using the model to design a full-scale beam composed of living material.

Hubler is a faculty member at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and the Materials Science and Engineering Program and serves as the Co-Director of the Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing. Six faculty members within the College of Engineering and Applied Science received CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation in 2022.

Off

Traditional

White

Seed grant opens research into future of construction materials, site tools

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 20:31:06 +0000

Seed grant opens research into future of construction materials, site tools Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/11/2022 - 13:31

Researchers at ��ñ�� are developing an app that could reliably and quickly predict whether batches of concrete made at construction sites are safe. If successful, the work could usher in a new era of building that is faster, more cost effective and safer overall for everyone.

Off

Traditional

White

Carbon capture DOE-funded projects may lead to more durable concrete materials

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 19:38:36 +0000

Carbon capture DOE-funded projects may lead to more durable concrete materials Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/25/2021 - 13:38

Jonathan Raab

Assistant Professor Mija Hubler

Melvin E. and Virginia M. Clark Professor Al Weimer

Assistant Professor Mija Hubler and Melvin E. and Virginia M. Clark Professor Al Weimer are collaborating on linked Department of Energy-funded projects to capture and repurpose carbon products from fuel sources into materials for concrete bricks. They hope to reduce pollution while also making stronger, more resilient building materials that require less maintenance and repairs over time.

The collaboration began in 2019, when the researchers received a Research and Innovation Office seed grant for their “Extremely Durable Concrete using Methane Decarbonization Nanofiber Byproducts” project. Based on the results of their initial study, they applied for two separate but related Department of Energy grants the following year.

“Our initial collaboration was motivated by the need to produce a byproduct to financially enable hydrogen for the transportation industry,” Hubler said. “We had previously shown there were benefits of adding solid carbon to concrete. We saw the potential to benefit concrete for infrastructure applications at the same time.”

The DOE approved “Extremely Durable Concrete using Methane Decarbonization Nanofiber Co-products with Hydrogen” through the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy and “Modular Processing of Flare Gas for Carbon Nanoproducts” through the National Energy Technology Laboratory in 2020. The projects’ combined funding totals $4 million.

“Depending on the optimal percent of carbon nano-product being sequestered with addition to cement and concrete, it is possible to replace as much as 25% of the hydrogen used in the U.S. that is made by greenhouse gas-generating steam methane reforming,” Weimer said. “This will have a dramatic impact on reducing CO2 emissions.”

The “Extremely Durable Concrete” project seeks to displace hydrogen production by steam methane reforming with a low-cost and scalable chemical vapor deposition process that produces value-added carbon nano-products. The “Modular Processing of Flare Gas for Carbon Nanoproducts” project will create a modular process to react methane to a value-added carbon nano-product that holds the potential to convert vented or flared natural gas into a commercially viable product.

In both cases, these carbon products can be incorporated into concrete.

“The value-added carbon nano-product ‘sequesters’ carbon from methane as a solid,” Hubler said. “The addition of the carbon nanofiber product to concrete increases the service life of concrete structures. This reduces the need for repair and reconstruction of concrete infrastructure.”

This materials science project is a joint effort between Team Weimer, housed in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and the Hubler Research Group of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering.

“The collaboration means we learn a lot about material science research across these fields,” Hubler said. “We have a joint research team of students and postdocs across both projects and departments. Additionally, consultation from our industry partners Forge Nano and National Ready Mix Concrete Association ensures the applicability of our efforts.”

Weimer has been a member of the MSE Program since its founding. Hubler is joining the program this fall.

“Since my research projects entail studies of materials innovation for structural applications, I hope my joining the MSE Program will enable the subset of my students who pursue materials development to take classes directly related to their research and be part of a student cohort of other materials researchers,” Hubler said.

She pointed toward the benefits of materials research for both the natural and built environments.

“Beyond the basic drive for improved cost and performance, structural materials such as concrete are facing a crisis due to their carbon footprint,” she said. “They are the most produced materials in the world and their manufacture has a direct impact on the future climate. As a result, there is a need and urgency to reinvent the structural materials we build with today. The field of new structural materials is exciting and beyond traditional concepts incorporating smart, living, healing and computationally designed materials.”

Off

Traditional

White