Center for Healthy and Durable Transportation
The Center for Healthy and Durable Transportation (CHDT) is a Tier 1 University Transportation Center to address the US DOT’s statutory research priority area of preserving the environment.
CHDT will perform research to develop innovative approaches that will improve sustainability and resilience of the transportation infrastructure.
Find out more about CHDTProjects
An Initial Step Towards the Development of Predictive Tools to Reduce Particulate Matter from Transportation
Outputs: Successful implementation of this project will create a base modelling framework (in-silico) tool that allows optimization of exhaust systems to reduce disruptive particulate matter. Outcomes/Impacts: Availability of a reliable optimization tool allows for efficient design of various compon...
View projectThermal Treatment Method to Remediate Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils
Project Description: Bioremediation, a promising technology, utilizes microbes to break down, transform, and ultimately eliminate specific contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons from contaminated soil. This process can be carried out in-situ, directly within the affected region. However, in-sit...
View projectDevelop an Agent-based Modeling Tool to Promote Electrical Vehicle (EV) Deployment and Reduce Lung Cancer Risks
Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop a modeling tool capable of simulating Electrical Vehicle (EV) infrastructure design and user adoption scenarios to facilitate the planning and design of EV infrastructure systems and reduce transportation-related lung cancer risks. Outputs:...
View projectTransport and Mitigation of Tire and Road Wear Microparticles in Stormwater Runoff from Highways
Project Description: The overall goal of this project is to identify transport and mitigation of tire and road wear microparticles in stormwater runoff from highways. Expulsion of microplastics (MP), metals, and other organic contaminants occurs in heavy traffic areas. Microplastic (size range...
View projectRemediation of Oil Products Spillage During Transportation
Project Description: This proposal aims to mitigate the oil spill from the road and water surface using commercial and sustainable dispersants. Frequent spillage of crude oils and refined products during transportation devastates the transportation lines, sewages, and surface waters, which can have ...
View projectA Sustainable Snow-Free Pavement to Mitigate the Negative Effect of Road Salts on Soil and Water
Project Description: Extreme weather in winter, characterized by prolonged and severe conditions, is anticipated soon due to climate change. Consequently, the utilization of deicing chemicals such as salts (including Chloride-based, Formate-based, and Acetate solutions) is inevitable. These chemical...
View projectQuantitative Study of PFAS Impacts on Microplastic (MP) Fate and Transport due to Effects on MP Flocculation
Project Description: Microplastics (MPs) are a class of emerging contaminants of concern that result from the degradation products of plastic-based fibers, particles, and films. Transportation contributes notably to MP in the environment, particularly in urban areas where anthropogenic debris ...
View projectSurface Modification Approaches to Turn Waste Plastics into Beneficial Additive for Concrete
Outputs: By increasing the value of plastics and advancing its application in concrete, this project will likely produce patentable technology. The project will also produce publications, presentations, and technical reports that produce improved understanding of how to enhance the compatibility of ...
View projectInvestigation of Bridge Scour Mitigation with Nature Binding Material: Seaweed
Project Description: New construction material plays an important role in sustainable development. With the development of construction materials, biopolymers are gradually being used as a soil improvement additive in geotechnical engineering. Seaweed, also known as macroalgae, is a diverse group of...
View projectA Framework To Boost Reactivity And Consistency Of Agricultural Residual Ashes As A Supplementary Cementitious Material
Project Description: This project aims to reduce negative impacts on transportation infrastructure by reducing the cement usage during its construction and maintenance. For this purpose, agricultural residues (corn stover and wheat straw) with reactive silica are considered as an excellent replaceme...
View projectInvestigating the Impact of Land Use Disturbance on Streamflow Regime and Sediment Connectivity in Urban Headwater Systems
Project Description: Streamflow regime is defined as the frequency, magnitude, duration, and timing of surface streamflow presence in a stream network. In headwater stream systems—stream reaches that form the start of river networks—streamflow regimes are highly dynamic, helping to maint...
View projectAn AI Powered Remote Sensing Framework for Monitoring and Predicting Roadside Water Quality
Project Description: Transportation systems can affect water quality directly in many ways, including stormwater runoff, deicing chemicals, vehicle exhaust, oil spills, and other contaminants. However, the impact of transportation systems on water qualify is not well studied or fully understood. A s...
View projectIn-pavement Charging for Electric Vehicles
Project Description: This proposal aims to develop an in-pavement charging system for electric vehicles that can offset the shortage of charging stations. The newly developed system will not only promote the usages of electric vehicles to reduce gas emission, but also provides a solution to public t...
View projectSubsurface Contamination Modeling and Remediation Techniques
Project Description: More than half of the US population consumes groundwater for drinking. Thus, introducing any type of contaminants into the groundwater table can risk the lives of more than half of the population. Contaminants from multiple sources can impact the drinking water wells and other r...
View projectEvaluation of Bio-Inspired Water Treatment Plant Sludge Materials Through Mycelium
Project Description: Researchers are focusing on developing innovative, sustainable materials characterized by low energy consumption and versatility. Mycelium-based materials, an emerging topic in sustainable construction, offer promise due to mycelium's renewable properties and its ability to brea...
View projectDeveloping Sustainable Waste Plastics Asphalt Roadway Construction
Project Description: The results will lead to effective utilization of waste plastics in hot/warm mix asphalt. A design method would facilitate the use of waste plastics and safeguard the performance of roadway. Outputs: The output of this study includes a systematic evaluation of engineering per...
View projectNanotechnology-enabled Sustainable and Cement-free Pervious Concrete Pavement
Project Description: This proposed project aims to further advance the “greening” of pervious concrete pavement through the utilization of nanotechnology. Different from Phase I of this project, the Phase II will further incorporate three green technologies into the pervious concrete: (1...
View projectRetrofit, Self-Contained, and Smart Solar Ice Control System for Resilient Infrastructure
Project Description: The proposed project herein will implement a micro-radiant heating system (MRHS) as a retrofit layer on the surface of existing concrete pavement. The technology will utilize a combination solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system and novel thermally active materials to keep sur...
View projectBiomechanics-Informed Pavement Guidelines for Safe Walking Surfaces
Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop data-driven pavement design parameters for optimum walking safety using human-centered biomechanical modeling and analyses. While this work will benefit all stakeholders of walkable communities, it has relevance for older adults with eleva...
View projectSorption, Leachability, and Transport of AFFF Impacted Concrete Materials
Project Description: The mobility and subsequent release of PFAS within concrete structures has been identified as an immediate concern by air and maritime transportation industrial entities, however, very little is known about the rates of ingress and egress of PFAS. Identifying the rates of sorpt...
View projectPublications
Feb 27, 2025A New Model in Θ-STOCK to Numerically Model NAPL Contaminant Transport through Unsaturated Porous Media
The present paper aims to study the spatial-temporal behavior of insoluble pollutants in unsaturated soils. Soil, serving as the primary habitat for m...
View publicationLatest News
Oct
09
2025
CHDT/MCTI Webinar October 9th
Event CollaborationThe Center for Healthy and Durable Transportation (CHDT) is partnering with the Missouri Center for Transportation Innovation (MCTI) for a webinar fea...
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