Young researchers aim to cut emissions from one of the world’s most widely used construction materials
By Carlos Roa
One of the most anticipated announcements at the 2026 Climate Correction conference was the naming of the VISTA Award winners and the project they are developing.
“Functionalization and Pre-Carbonation of Florida-Native Algae Biochar for Carbon-Negative Cementitious Composites” is the title of the winning project. The team members are Jasmine Rodriguez, a first-year Ph.D. student in civil engineering; Farzad Rezaeicherati, a second-year Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering; and Sevil Ozsut, also a second-year Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at the University of Miami.
The project aims to develop carbon-negative concrete by incorporating pre-carbonated, functionalized biochar made from Florida-native algae. The goal is to create a high-performance, low-carbon concrete that maintains strength and workability while significantly reducing net CO₂ emissions.
First, the team converts locally sourced algae into carbon-rich biochar, transforming a natural carbon absorber into a sustainable construction material. Next, they address a key limitation of biochar in concrete: reduced strength and durability, by chemically functionalizing its surface to improve bonding with cement.
The biochar is then pre-carbonated, so it acts as an internal CO₂ reservoir, capturing and storing carbon in solid form as calcium carbonate during cement hydration. Finally, the researchers conduct a full life cycle assessment to quantify emissions reductions.
A competitive proposal
Dr. Ali Gahremaninezhad, also known as “Dr. Ali G.,” is an endowed engineering professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at the University of Miami and the team’s adviser. He believes the proposal stands out because it addresses climate challenges at scale by improving one of the most widely used materials in the world.
“It’s a competitive proposal,” he said.
Dr. Gahremaninezhad noted that many climate solutions focus on reducing emissions, but this project targets one of the largest, and often overlooked, sources: infrastructure.
“The construction industry, including materials, transportation and installation, accounts for about one-third of global CO₂ emissions,” he said. The team aims to reduce carbon emissions while also addressing an environmental and economic problem.
Rodriguez said the research group has been working with algae for about a year, developing processes to convert it into biochar for use in cement.
“After the initial research, we moved into chemically treating and pre-carbonating the biochar,” she said.
Traditional biochar typically replaces only about 10% of cement before negatively affecting strength and durability. The team hopes to increase that replacement rate to between 20% and 30% by chemically treating the biochar to enhance its properties.
“If we can increase cement replacement, we can significantly reduce carbon emissions associated with infrastructure materials,” Rodriguez said.
The team also wanted to address a Florida-specific challenge: algae growth, which has become a major environmental and disposal problem in the state.
The project combines carbon reduction with a solution to Florida’s algae problem.
“By incorporating algae-derived biochar into cementitious materials, we aim to reduce both environmental waste and emissions,” said Rezaeicherati.
Why concrete matters
The team chose to focus on concrete because of its enormous global footprint.
Ozsut noted that concrete is the second most used material in the world after water and carries a significant carbon impact. As climate challenges continue, she said, the need for more sustainable materials has become increasingly urgent.
Dr. Gahremaninezhad added that even small improvements can have a major effect.
“Concrete is the most widely used construction material,” he said. “Even a 5% to 10% improvement in sustainability can have a massive impact because of the sheer volume of concrete used worldwide. That’s why this project is so important.”
“We want to maintain durability and mechanical properties while lowering carbon emissions,” Ozsut said. “Our research focuses on chemically treating algae biochar to maintain structural integrity while improving sustainability.”
A challenging process
One of the team’s biggest technical challenges is functionalization: chemically or physically treating the biochar to enhance its properties.
The researchers are introducing hydrophilic functional groups to improve bonding with cement. However, the use of acids and salts alters the size and texture of the material, creating processing challenges such as drying and filtering.
Because these processes are new at this scale, the team is still optimizing them to improve efficiency and minimize material loss.
Each functionalization strategy targets different properties, including mechanical strength, durability and flowability. Flowability is essential because cement must remain workable for real-world infrastructure applications.
The researchers’ goal is to improve all these properties without compromising durability or structural strength.
The VISTA moment
When Rodriguez, Ozsut and Rezaeicherati learned they had won the VISTA Award, they said they felt both honored and excited.
“We invested a lot of time and effort in building a strong scientific foundation for this proposal,” the team said. “With our adviser’s support, we developed a competitive project. This recognition shows that our research matters beyond civil engineering and has a broader environmental impact.”
Following the Climate Correction conference, the team plans to conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the material’s long-term performance, particularly in Florida’s aggressive coastal and marine environments.
Ozsut will focus on corrosion performance. Rezaeicherati will study self-healing properties, while Rodriguez will continue researching the project’s carbon sequestration aspects.
Their long-term goal is to fully evaluate the material’s properties and move toward commercialization.
2027 VISTA Award applications are open until October 31, 2026.
