SPE ON DEMAND WORKSHOP: Material Selection and Product Durability for Sustainable Plastics in Buildings and Infrastructures
SPE On Demand Workshop
Material Selection and Product Durability for Sustainable Plastics in Buildings and Infrastructures
Summary
While plastics industry has attributed a tremendous effort to recycling and circular economy, the construction materials industries have emphases its sustainability effort on the impact of using polymer-based materials through construction and service life, raised up to 100-years requirements. Greenhouse gases imprint remains the leading driver for sustainability in civil infrastructures and buildings, in example with LEED program. Given a significant decrease in GHG emission, polymer-based products have been criticized for their harmful impact. Among the concerns raised are the release of microplastics and the contamination of water with toxic compounds such as PFAS, BPA and phthalates.
Material selection requires a thorough evaluation of its overall impacts and life cycle, considering four gated steps for circularity: cradle-to-product, product-to-construction, construction-to end of life, and end of life-to-cradle. Durability is indeed a critical factor in the evaluation of a life cycle analysis (LCA). Degradation mechanisms are presented for several polymers, most used with building materials and geosynthetics. Prediction models for the assessment of material durability are compared with field data. Given discrepancies between models and reality, a risk management approach is proposed to compensate for the uncertainties and unforeseen.
Agenda
(Click each session to expand)
Duration: 1 Hour
Outline
Key dimensions of sustainability for plastics in buildings and infrastructures
Overview of sustainability programs and greenhouse (GHG) gas protocols
State-of-the-art practices and trends in circular economy
Workshop Pack
Strengthen your team’s skills and take advantage of group savings with a Material Selection and Product Durability for Sustainable Plastics in Buildings and InfrastructuresOn Demand Workshop Pack. Go here for more information.
4 Sessions
Level: Intermediate
Total Hours: 4 Hours
Instructor
David Beaumier
Director, Tech. , Polymers & Geosynthetics CTT Group
David Beaumier, Eng., M.Sc.A., MBA, is a business engineer specialized in technology transfer and innovation. Through 25 years’ experience in product development and research, he has developed niche sectors with specific characterization of synthetic materials, assessment of their durability, and prediction of their service life. His career initially focused on process and materials development and on advanced characterization of engineering materials. Through 18 years within CTT Group, he worked in the geosynthetics and building materials sector, known under the trade name of SAGEOS (geosynthetic analysis service). Among innovation projects, he participated within over 50 R&D projects from the manufacturing technology to the durability improvement of geosynthetics.
Recent papers from David Beaumier on durability and long-term performance:
Beaumier, D., Fourmont, S., Koerner, G.,Lifetime considerations of geotextile UV exposure before installation, GeoAmericas 2024, Toronto, Canada, 2024.
Beaumier, D., Fazli, A.,Evaluation of geomembrane UV exposure using geographic and climate data, Geosynthetics 2023, Kansas City, MO, USA, 2023.
Sati, R., Beaumier D.,Stress-Cracking Resistance of a Bi-modal PE-RT HDPE Geomembrane, Geosynthetics 2021, Virtual (Kansas City, MO, USA), 2021.
Mills, A., Fraser, B., Beaumier, D.,Long-term Performance of HDPE Geomembranes Exposed to a High Temperature Brine Solution, Geosynthetics 2019, Houston, TX, USA, 2019.
Jablonka M., Beaumier D., Blond E.,Long-term durability of polymeric water-resistive barriers, 10th Annual North American Passive House Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, 2015.
Are you working in construction, civil engineering, or material science and grappling with the challenges of selecting sustainable materials for long-lasting performance? Balancing material durability with environmental impact is key to advancing sustainability in buildings and infrastructure.
Are you evaluating polymer-based materials for construction and concerned about their long-term effects, such as microplastics release or water contamination with PFAS, BPA, and phthalates?
Do you want to understand how life cycle analysis (LCA) and circularity principles—spanning cradle-to-product, product-to-construction, and beyond—can guide better material choices?
Are you interested in exploring degradation mechanisms for commonly used polymers, comparing prediction models with field data, and implementing risk management approaches to address uncertainties?
If the answer is YES to any of these questions, then this event on Material Selection and Product Durability for Sustainable Plastics in Buildings and Infrastructures is for you!
Why Should You Should Purchase On Demand?
Material requirements for designing must include sustainability on a wide horizon. The positive impact of plastics is to be demonstrated with metrics, including GHG emissions, LCA and durability assessment. This webinar aims promoting a methodology for rationale on the sustainability of plastics, using the construction field experience with polymers.
Characterization and Control of a Compact Mixing Extruder for Fused Granular
Fabrication
Stiven Kodra, UMass Lowell
3D Printing and
Additive Manufacturing
Development of a Compact Print Head for In-Situ Physical Foaming in Extrusion-Based 3D
Printing
Frank Ehrig, IWK Institute for Materials Engineering and Plastics
Processing at OST Eastern Switzerland UAS
3D Printing and
Additive Manufacturing
Z-Penetration Deposition Approach to Strengthen Interlayer Interfaces in
Fiber-Reinforced Additive Manufacturing
Uday Kiran Balaga, University of Delaware
3D Printing and
Additive Manufacturing
3D Printed TPU/CNT Nanocomposite Foams with High Electrical Conductivity for EMI
Shielding and Intelligent Thermal Management
Mohammad Aghvami-Panah, UMass Lowell
3D Printing and
Additive Manufacturing
Stratasys SAF ReLife: A Sustainable Recycling Solution for Additive Manufacturing
Alec Logeman, Stratasys
3D Printing and
Additive Manufacturing
Balancing Strength and Strain Tolerance in Additively Manufactured Polymer
Composites
Seyed Amin Hosseini, Chabahar Maritime University Alex Eggers, Western Carolina University Siavash Sattar, Randolph College Mona Torabi, Western Carolina University Hamid EisaZadeh, Western Carolina University
From Material Characterization To Biodegradability: Correlating Biopolymers
Physicochemical Properties With Their Biodegradability Under Industrial Composting Conditions
Giovanni Gadaleta, AIMPLAS
Bioplastics
and Renewable Technologies 1
Degradation Behavior of Injection-Molded PLA: Crystallinity Dependence in Marine vs.
Lab-Accelerated Composting
Mia Knipe, Western Washington University
Bioplastics
and Renewable Technologies 1
Polymeric Foams Based on Biopolymers: Optimization of Formulations, Production
Technology and Processing Conditions
Miguel Angel Rodriguez Perez, CELLMAT Technologies S.L.
Bioplastics
and Renewable Technologies 1
Compatibilization of Amorphous PHA and PLA for Blown Film Applications
Raj Krishnaswamy, CJ Biomaterials
Bioplastics
and Renewable Technologies 1
Single-Step Thermoformable PLA-Based Formulation for Compostable Hot Beverage
Lids
Shilpa Manjure, Natur-Tec a division of NTIC
Bioplastics
and Renewable Technologies 1
Processing of Biodegradable Plastics and their Bio-Composites for Single-use Plastic
Alternatives and 3D printed Products
Understanding the influence of antioxidants on the fragmentation of PET into
microplastics
Hrushikesh Pujari, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Polymer Analysis 1
Combining Simulation and Small Angle Neutron Scattering
Yingrui Shang, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Polymer Analysis 1
How to use Thermal Analysis to Help Driving Polymer Sustainability
Tianhong (Terri) Chen, Cannon Instrument
Polymer Analysis 1
Polystyrene Yellowing Caused by Fluorescent Bulb Exposures - A Reciprocity Study and
Statistical Analysis
Kristen Chang, Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC
Polymer Analysis 1
Comparison of FTIR Methods for Microplastic and Nanoplastic Characterization
Hilda Buss, Exponent
Polymer Analysis 1
How Thermal Analysis, Raman Spectroscopy and Lab-Scale Film Extrusion Including
Optical Film Quality Analysis Can Predict and Confirm Crystallinity and Product Quality In
Polymers
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Full refund 30 days prior to the event start date. Please contact customerrelations@4spe.org for assistance with registration.
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Upstream Quote Engineer, Cytiva; Co-host, PlastChicks Podcast; President-Elect, SPE-Inspiring Plastics
Professionals. Throughout her career, Lynzie has gained experience in the automotive, appliance, medical, pet,
and micro injection molding industries. Lynzie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Plastics Engineering
Technology from Penn State Behrend in 2008. She has been a member of SPE since 2004 and has been involved in her
local section, holding many positions including past President. Lynzie also sits on the Injection Molding
Division and is the former secretary for the SPE Foundation board. In 2015, Lynzie was part of Plastics News'
inaugural class of "Women Breaking the Mold," and was named one of the group's "Rising Stars" in 2018. She is
also on the Industrial Advisory Board for Penn State's Plastics Department.
Mercedes Landázuri leads trend insight & innovation for Ampacet, a global manufacturer of color and
additive masterbatch. Additionally, she hosts trend forecasting workshops for Color Marketing Group, the premier
global color forecasting association, and was elected to their board of directors in 2024. In her spare time,
she has served as a guest lecturer for College for Creative Studies, Western Michigan University, and Advanced
Design’s virtual courses. She is an active volunteer for SPE, having held the highest leadership positions
within the Color and Appearance Division, the Recycling Division, and the NextGen Advisory Board. Landázuri
co-founded and co-hosts the award-winning PlastChicks podcast with Lynzie Nebel. Landázuri was named a
Plastics News Rising Star in 2017 and a Woman Breaking the Mold in 2024.
