The leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries' community.
PELA is a 10-month hybrid program with online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities.
Careers in the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) is the industry’s unified voice, representing more than 200 member companies across the state.
Creating a unified and strong voice for our industry.
PACA monitors and analyzes local, state and federal regulations and advocates for a balanced approach by the regulators.
PACA builds a bridge between our members and our partners at PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission along with Pennsylvania’s construction industry to further the use of our materials to the benefit of the commonwealth.
One of the most effective tools in government relations for an industry is a robust advocacy/grassroots strategy.
In the last legislative session, we contributed over $275,000 to our political champions.
November 2025 at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (PACA members only event).
PACA offers comprehensive concrete certification programs for ACI, NRMCA, and PennDOT in the central Pennsylvania area.
Membership has its privileges - most of PACA's events are open to PACA members only.
PACA conducts numerous education and training events during the year.
Choose concrete for your next parking lot project.
Streets built with concrete are built to last, consider concrete for your next project.
Concrete's strong, resilient and the choice for your next building or bridge.
PACA works with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) to convert your parking lot or building project to concrete without hurting your bottom line.
PACA drives a member-approved strategic plan to increase market share and engages specifiers and owners on the value of concrete in their projects.
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.
In 2004, graphene was first isolated by researchers at the UK’s University of Manchester. Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov received a Nobel Prize for their efforts. Pure crystalline graphene is a wonder material a single atom thick. The 2D material is a million times thinner than a human hair. It conducts heat and electricity more efficiently than copper or gold. It is so dense that even the tiniest gas atoms cannot pass through it.
The contrast between concrete and graphene is quite stark. Humanity has fashioned important structures from concrete for thousands of years. Graphene is a 21st-century phenomenon. Production runs are dissimilar as well. Technicians produce concrete in large batches. Graphene production occurs on a much smaller scale. Production methods include chemical vapor deposition, chemical exfoliation and liquid-phase exfoliation. Industrial-scale production of graphene becomes more viable all the time.
Since graphene is 200 times stronger than steel, researchers quickly surmised that it could make concrete far stronger and more resilient. They experiment with different forms of graphene. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) surfactant functionalized graphene (FG) and graphene oxide (GO) are examples. One way to produce graphene concrete is to use a process known as high-shear exfoliation. It allows technicians to infuse mixing water with graphene.
Researchers at the UK’s University of Exeter also came up with a way to suspend graphene flakes in the water. They see a scalable process “compatible with modern, large-scale manufacturing requirements.” Ultimately, significant graphene concrete production requires reliable suppliers capable of large-scale production.
Graphene is certainly a “new kid on the block.” Still, it demonstrates real potential as a concrete additive. Concrete made with ordinary Portland cement delivers compressive strength at a modest cost. This quality makes it one of the world’s most popular building materials. However, low tensile strength requires reinforcement in many applications.
There are numerous ways to address the challenge of concrete’s brittle nature. Graphene concrete simultaneously improves compressive strength, flexural strength, and split tensile strength. More resilient concrete cracks less, and it better resists stress. More crack-resistant concrete lasts longer, and it requires less maintenance.
In 2019, researchers published the findings of a graphene concrete study. They looked at adding graphene oxide nanosheets to mixing water in concentrations from 0.02 to 0.08 percent. At 28 days, flexural strength across that range increased from 2.7 to 15.6 percent.
The University of Exeter team calculated the compressive strength of their graphene-reinforced formulation. They found that it had 146 percent more compressive strength than standard concrete. Stronger concrete allows for lightweight designs. The added strength allows architectural engineers to do more with less. A lighter weight material often means more dynamic designs and lower carbon emissions.
Researchers observe that “the durability of concrete depends on the capacity of a fluid to penetrate its microstructure.” Graphene concrete is up to four times less permeable than its traditional counterpart. Low permeability decreases the amount of water compromising the surface. Normally, moisture infiltrates through cracks and capillary pores. Graphene-reinforced concrete also minimizes the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). This is the swelling resulting from moisture infiltration. This swelling leads to cracking and other structural issues.
Graphene-reinforced concrete uses much less cement to deliver the desired strength. As a result, it may reduce CO2 emissions by 983 pounds per ton, according to one estimate. It is also possible to source graphene from sustainable sources. For example, Rice University researchers made graphene from garbage.
The potential uses for graphene concrete are many. They include those that take advantage of its resiliency, conductivity and/or impermeability. Researchers have only begun to contemplate the full range of possibilities.
The brittleness of traditional concrete is an inherent concern in high-stress settings. By contrast, graphene concrete demonstrates flexural strength that makes it a viable alternative. Higher costs are offset to a degree by longer life cycles.
Low water permeability makes graphene concrete attractive wherever moisture is a concern. High durability means long lifespans and minimal maintenance. These qualities are of particular interest in places that are difficult to access.
Researchers hope to take advantage of graphene’s conductivity to create walls and floors heated without cables. In 2019, cement producer Italcementi displayed a multi-layer floor mock-up at the 2019 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It included a layer of graphene-cementitious composite along with sub-flooring, polystyrene insulation, a concrete slab, bedding mortar and ceramic tiles.
Thanks to graphene’s conductivity, it is possible to deploy smart sensors across entire surfaces. Imagine the possibilities with real-time monitoring of stress, deformations, temperature and humidity. More proactive repairs could minimize damage and extend lifespans. Smart concrete could usher in a new generation of greener buildings.
Graphene concrete's heat and electrical conductivity inspire other potential applications. It may help de-ice airport runways. Graphene concrete may also contribute to the infrastructure required for high-speed rail. It may lead to more cost-effective wireless charging of electric vehicles. Protection from lightning strikes is another possibility. Anti-static flooring and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding are other possibilities.
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) watches for developments impacting the concrete industry. PACA reports on research that makes concrete a more versatile and sustainable building material. For more information about innovative concrete formulations, please contact us.
February 22, 2024
Proficient carbon calculations are increasingly important as “Buy Clean” legislation proliferates. New York and Colorado are among the states that now require carbon calcs for public projects. An estimated 40% of emissions are from the built environment. According to one estimate, the planet’s total building floor area will double by 2060. This makes the concrete industry a key player in the quest for net-zero emissions products and projects.
February 15, 2024
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) notes that cement production is “so carbon intensive that even though cement makes up less than 15% of concrete by weight, it accounts for 90% of concrete’s carbon footprint.” The use of fossil fuels to fire cement kilns is a key source of these carbon emissions.
February 08, 2024
In the quest for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, everyone has a role to play. In the concrete industry, this includes everyone from manufacturers to contractors, and from trade associations to governments. Here is a review of some of the major initiatives impacting concrete’s sustainability.
February 01, 2024
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) requires high-temperature calcination of limestone. It is possible to use various emissions-reducing pozzolans in concrete. Fly ash comes from coal-fired power plants. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) comes from steel mills. Another SCM is metakaolin derived from kaolin.
The program is delivered in one (1) module and it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will receive a certificate of completion once you pass the quiz. The bookmarking feature will allow you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.