Research Publications

The concrete construction industry is governed by a network of codes and standards that ensure safety and quality. This study evaluates two central concrete construction industry standards related ...

The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model developed by Argonne National Laboratory quantifies the life cycle energy consumption and air emissions res...

Urban green space, such as parks, forests, green roofs, streams, and community gardens, provides critical ecosystem services. Green space also promotes physical activity, psychological well-being, ...

This work presents novel Agent-Based Models that permit flexible conceptualization of the electrification efforts in developing countries. It captures the interacting technological, environmental, and...

The high theoretical productivity of microalgae makes it a promising energy crop, but economically viable large-scale production facilities have yet to emerge. Coupling algae cultivation ponds with...

Residents of Hawai`i Island pay some of the highest rates for electricity and petroleum products among residents of the United States. Moreover, the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago rely almost ent...

Automakers have the opportunity to utilize bio-based composite materials to lightweight cars while replacing conventional, nonrenewable resource materials. In this study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) i...

As lightweight materials and advanced combustion engines are being used in both conventional and electrified vehicles with diverse fuels, it is necessary to evaluate the individual and combined imp...

Global production of food, feed, fiber, and bio-based fuel commodities is essential to economic development and human well-being. These ‘soft’ commodities, so named because they are grown and not mine...

“Life-cycle assessment” is a term that has been “thrown around a lot,” Martin Heller said. But what exactly is it? In essence, LCA is a methodological framework for tracking the environmental impac...

The study of industrial symbiosis (IS) has largely focused on the exchange of energy and materials among industrial processes in an effort to increase value and reduce environmental impact. Agricul...

The maximum amount of land for growing switchgrass for ethanol is estimated for a region in the southeastern U.S. Breakeven capacities are calculated for land in row crops, hay, pasture and margina...

With the lowest access to electricity in the world, the country of Liberia, West Africa, has efforts underway for electrification through a fossil based centralized scheme around its capital city a...

China has proposed its 2020 clean energy target together with the climate change target of reducing CO2 intensity of the economy by 40–45% below the 2005 level. This article investigates the feasib...

Purpose This study aims to compare the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of two cellulosic bioenergy pathways (i.e., bioethanol and bioelectricity) using different references and function...

Grid-scale energy storage is one option to reduce curtailment and increase deliverability of transmission-constrained wind. This study examines four hypothetical wind and transmission projects in t...

This work assesses the potential of electrified vehicles and mass reduction to reduce life cycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to account for proces...

Algae are an appealing source for bioenergy due to their high yields relative to terrestrial energy crops. The high cost of production, however, has prohibited commercialization. Hydrothermal lique...

China’s unprecedented change offers a unique opportunity for uncovering relationships between economic growth and environmental pressure. Here we show the trajectories of China’s environmental pres...

The decline of China's energy intensity slowed since 2000. During 2002–2005 it actually increased, reversing the long-term trend. Therefore, it is important to identify drivers of the fluctuation o...

Top-down analysis of virtual atmospheric mercury emission networks can direct efficient demand-side policy making on mercury reductions. Taking China—the world’s top atmospheric mercury emitter—as ...

China has built the world’s longest network of High Speed Rail (HSR) systems in less than 5 years. However, there are very few studies on the life cycle impact of China’s HSR systems compared to studi...

Increasing fuel prices, environmental concerns, and fuel efficiency regulations are precipitating the adoption of new vehicle construction and propulsion technologies that are sensitive to location of...

This research aims to provide a more comprehensive, life cycle accounting of two categories of environmental and economic benefits associated with the $3 billion US “Cash for Clunkers” vehicle scra...