The Grainger College of Engineering
Illinois Center for Transportation

Life cycle impacts of airfield pavements using FAALCAn

By Ali Butt on 02/19/2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in 1611 Titan Dr., Rantoul, IL 61866

Join Ali Butt of the University of California Pavement Research Center as he presents via Zoom at the Spring 2026 Kent Seminar Series Thursday, February 19, from 2-3 p.m. (CT).

The Spring 2026 semester is set to feature 14 presentations, each addressing a topic related to innovation trends in aviation. See the full lineup of speakers for Spring 2026 semester.

Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

All presentations will be held on Zoom, but some speakers will present in person at ICT.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://go.illinois.edu/KentSeminar

Meeting ID: 856 1731 4207  
Passcode: 019160

Abstract and Bio

As the aviation industry intensifies its sustainability commitments, a critical gap remains: the lack of a free, nationally available tool to quantify the environmental impacts of airfield pavements. Existing tools are either commercially restricted or not tailored to U.S. construction practices. This presentation introduces FAALCAn, the FAA’s new web-based life cycle assessment tool designed to address this need. FAALCAn allows project planners to model environmental impacts beginning at the conceptual design stage, using customizable project data and publicly sourced inventories. The presentation demonstrates how the tool supports data-driven, sustainable decision-making for airfield infrastructure.

Ali Butt is a project scientist at the University of California Pavement Research Center, Davis and Berkeley, where he leads research on sustainable transportation infrastructure. His work, supported by federal and state grants, focuses on life cycle assessment frameworks for roads and airfields, pavement-vehicle interaction, urban metabolism, and environmental product declarations. His research aims to reduce the environmental impacts of transportation systems. Butt holds a bachelor’s degree from the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan and a master’s degree, licentiate of engineering, and doctorate from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.