The latest Small Starts study from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) offers sustainable road building materials for rural infrastructure, from an unlikely source.

Approximately 7,000 years ago, the eruption of Oregon's Mt. Mazama blanketed the Klamath Basin region with a thick layer of volcanic ash. Matthew Sleep, an associate professor of civil engineering at Oregon Tech, investigated the use of this ash as a natural pozzolan for soil stabilization and unpaved roadway improvement. He found that the ash, prevalent in Southern Oregon, has the potential to be used for gravel roadway dust abatement. 

Portland cement, the current industry standard, is a basic ingredient in concrete and mortar. A caustic material that causes chemical burns, it was first developed in the 19th century. It’s time for a new approach.

A sustainability analysis concluded that replacing portland cement with Mt. Mazama volcanic ash would reduce carbon dioxide emissions and embodied energy consumed during the construction process.

The scope of work for this Small Starts project, which serves as a stepping stone to the next phase of research, included measuring the shear strength of Mt. Mazama Ash. Further soil testing and laboratory analysis of the ash's other mechanical properties is a goal for future research, as is the development of a cost comparison between the use of Mt. Mazama Ash and other innovative soil stabilization techniques. The hoped-for outcome? A hyperlocal source of sustainable materials to support environmental stewardship in rural Oregon.