ACRP IdeaHub Research Projects

Establish if and how recycled (pyrolyzed) carbon fibers can be used in place of virgin carbon fibers for achieving comparable performance at lower material costs.

Airports have for decades been managing and remediating contamination of soil and groundwater resulting from past practices. However, within the past two years airports have been surprised by a previously unrecognized environmental threat from a family of compounds found in firefighting foam known as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). A synthesis study to provide necessary education on the subject is proposed. It is... more »

In accordance with the Clean Water Act, airports must responsibly manage stormwater runoff. Unlike highways, which have had extensive research on stormwater runoff, there is little data that indicates water quality of stormwater runoff from existing airports and airfields. There is preliminary indication from small studies that runoff from various airport land uses is cleaner than most regulatory staff assume, mostly... more »

To produce a guidance document that presents airports with their options for various environmental certification and accreditation programs and provides detailed yet easy-to-follow methodology on how to obtain them.

This guide would provide information and perspective on airport opportunities for water reuse, at a time of renewed national focus and strategic initiatives supporting considerations and implementation of water reuse. This research would generate targeted information to help airports better understand the financial, environmental, and operational challenges and opportunities for water reuse.

"The objective of this project is to research best practices focused on managing the resources at airports to optimize the number of runways and taxiways that can be kept open during winter storms. The guidelines should include using process optimization to reduce variation caused by unpredictable weather events and computer simulation analyses to optimize the number of equipment needed, resources required, and optimize... more »

This research would summarize the best of practices through survey of airports and consultants; evaluate the effectiveness of subsurface drainage configurations by investigating field performance of airport pavements with and without drainage features; quantify the cost and benefits of including subsurface drainage by comparing any potential extension in service-life with increased construction and maintenance costs;... more »

To support the air transport industry's holistic effort to reduce maintenance costs and safety risks, research is needed to identify airport best practices that could reduce the influence of airfield pavement deicing on accelerated structural deterioration of aircraft carbon brakes and provide guidance to airports on selection and application of these best practices.