WVU researchers utilize $2.5 million in EPA funding to support sustainable development

IMSE chair Ashish Nimbarte, JuHyeong Ryu and Chris Moore are utilizing $2.5M in EPA grant funding to help regional manufacturers meet evolving product guidelines (WVU Photo/Kaley LaQuea).

Researchers in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University are utilizing $2.5 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to enhance sustainable development efforts in the Mountain State. 

Story by Kaley LaQuea, Communications Specialist 
Photos by Kaley LaQuea

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

The WVU team, led by Industrial and Management Systems Engineering department Chair Ashish Nimbarte alongside IMSE Assistant Professor JuHyeong Ryu and IMSE Research Associate Chris Moore, will provide technical guidance to regional manufacturers to help them meet evolving EPA product guidelines through environmental product declarations or  EPDs. One of 38 grant recipients, the WVU research team will provide technical assistance and guidance on required documents to help businesses ensure they comply with updated regulations at no cost.

“The participating businesses, by having EPDs, can better compete in supplying federal and other institutional construction projects, giving them a competitive advantage and creating jobs and other economic opportunities,” Nimbarte said. 

EPDs provide carbon footprint impact for the entire lifecycle of the product and are critical for sustainable manufacturing. The EPA has implemented new product category rules that businesses are required to meet in order to provide accurate estimates for environmental impacts. The EPA estimates that construction materials for infrastructure — things like timber, concrete, asphalt, insulation and glass — are responsible for 15% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. The research team will use detailed data provided by the businesses to develop EPDs that encapsulate the entire lifecycle of the material, from construction to use and eventual degradation.

“This project benefits the livelihood of the state and the people that live here,” Nimbarte said. “If you have a prosperous construction industry, it's going to create opportunities for businesses.”

Researchers will engage with stakeholders in industry from around the state, ensuring geographic diversity and supporting businesses throughout the verification process. 

“This is one of the biggest steps from the industry — as well as our institution — to improve the environmental aspects of construction,” Ryu said. “I believe this is the first step towards making things better, not just for the construction industry, but also other sectors like manufacturing and agriculture. It has huge potential to be expanded to other industries, and through this process we can expect better and healthier states in the US.”

In addition to providing technical support and helping manufacturers comply, researchers will spend the next five years of the grant period creating an information repository that will be available to the public. The database will eventually be used for a new label program, part of the forthcoming ‘Buy Clean’ marketplace created by the EPA, that identifies and promotes low carbon construction materials.

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