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DARPA Young Faculty Award
UT Arlington researcher Warda Ashraf [Photo: UTA]
UT Arlington Researcher Takes a Page From Ancient Romans to Reinvent Concrete
by Kevin Cummings | Oct 6, 2022
UT Arlington civil engineering researcher Warda Ashraf is looking to the past to create a concrete-like material for the future—one that could reduce the carbon emissions created by today's construction industry. The ancient Romans used volcanic ash to make structures that still stand today. With $747,000 in DARPA funding, Ashraf's team found a workable substitute—super-heated clay hydrated with lime and seawater—and is preparing to test it in the Corpus Christi Bay area.
“We have the recipe. We tested that in the laboratory," Ashraf told Dallas Innovates. "Now, let's put it in the field and see what happens.”
