Category Archives: IC.2 Energy

The recycling efficiency of the aluminum

By diana.leon | Published: January 5, 2012

What most people don’t realize is that aluminum is practically the perfect recyclable material. Out of the most common recyclable materials that clutter up our landfills—glass, paper, metals, cardboard, plastics—aluminum is the only material that’s endlessly recyclable, 100% recyclable, and that pays for itself. Here are some other interesting facts we bet you don’t know about aluminum recycling:

• It takes energy to make aluminum from scratch. The energy you save by recycling a single aluminum can will run a TV for three hours.
• In fact, it takes 95% less energy to make aluminum from bauxite ore than to recycle old aluminum into new.
• Aluminum can be recycled over and over without breaking down. In theory, we have an inexhaustible supply of it in circulation right now. If we recycled all our aluminum, we’d never have to make more.
• Most people don’t realize how strong a metal aluminum is. Four six packs can support the weight of a 4,000-lb. aluminum car.
• Aluminum has a phenomenally high melting point—1,220ºF
• Four pounds of raw bauxite ore is saved for every pound of aluminum that is reclaimed in the recycling process.
• Aluminum is valuable. It’s still very much in demand, and recycled aluminum is just as useful and desirable as new. In fact, aluminum is the only recyclable material that depots can recoup their recycling costs with.
• Making aluminum from bauxite ore is a dirty process—and burning it is even worse. By doubling our aluminum recycling rate, we could cut a million tons of pollutants per year out of the atmosphere.

References:

DLR London City Airport Extension

http://www.professorshouse.com/Your-Home/Environment/Recycling/Articles/Recycling-Aluminum-Cans—Fun-Facts/

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Eco Friendly materials // ELSTAR / BIPV

By Anya | Published: January 4, 2012

«ELSTAR»

elstar.jpeg

Russian scientists from Podolsk have developed a unique building  material «ELSTAR» – electrostabilized papercrete. It combines structural advantages of concrete with the environmental-friendliness of wood. Big pluses of this material are ecological compatibility, available consumables and low price. «ELSTAR» is produced from crushed wood waste that gets soaked in water, processed with special solutions and tools and then mixed with cementing substance so a ready piece of construction is fabricated. Each piece is processed with electricity for 50 minutes so it becomes very strong. This product can be used for the construction of any building. «ELSTAR» has less weight than a brick, so lightweight foundation can be used. Another important advantage of the new product is its low thermal conductivity (a 30 cm thick wall of  «ELSTAR» is equal to the thickness of five bricks – 125 cm) and this reduces costs for heating of premises.

BIPV

bipv.jpegBuilding-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with BIPV modules as well. The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. These advantages make BIPV one of the fastest growing segments of the photovoltaic industry.

*info from http://www.arbolit.ufab.ru/, http://www.mediaterra.ru/materials/ and Wikipedia

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Innovative materials

By jayanthimala.gokulrajkailash | Published: December 31, 2011

This special concrete tile allows light to pass through. The tile contains optical fibers that make up about 5% of its surface area. The fibers are distributed uniformly throughout the surface to allow an outline to be clearly visible on the other side. The tiles have the unique combination of being nearly unbreakable and translucent.
The material is made with a combination of optical fibers and fine concrete. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks. Due to the small size of the fibers, they blend into concrete and become a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate. The result is a new material, which is homogeneous in both its inner structure and its surfaces.
The material is manufactured by alternating layers of concrete and fibers. The concrete sets and the material is cut into tiles. The pattern of the fibers can be uniform, or can be designed to a specification such as artificial wood grain.

This special concrete tile allows light to pass through. The tile contains optical fibers that make up about 5% of its surface area. The fibers are distributed uniformly throughout the surface to allow an outline to be clearly visible on the other side. The tiles have the unique combination of being nearly unbreakable and translucent.
The material is made with a combination of optical fibers and fine concrete. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks. Due to the small size of the fibers, they blend into concrete and become a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate. The result is a new material, which is homogeneous in both its inner structure and its surfaces.
The material is manufactured by alternating layers of concrete and fibers. The concrete sets and the material is cut into tiles. The pattern of the fibers can be uniform, or can be designed to a specification such as artificial wood grain.

The idea for Flexicomb grew out of a research project on structural honeycombs at the Yale School of Architecture. Thousands of closely packed polypropylene tubes form the flexible honeycomb matrix, which bends in the convex direction while remaining rigid in the concave. This translucent material is a re-valuation of a disposable everyday product—plastic drinking straws. Flexicomb can be bent, sprung, and compressed to form sculptural installations.

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COUNTERTOPS FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS

By swetha | Published: December 31, 2011

IceStone is the world’s safest and most sustainable durable surface. Each slab is made of three ingredients: 100% recycled glass, Portland cement, and non-toxic pigments.over 10 million pounds of glass have been diverted from landfills since 2003 for the manufacture of Icestone.

In addition to producing stunning, Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certified surfaces  (Cradle to Cradle is a certification system that rates a product’s safety, recycled content, recyclability, and manufacturing processes,IceStone is the first and only surface to achieve the Gold level of Cradle to Cradle certification.)made from 100 percent post- and pre-consumer glass, IceStone commits to the environment in other notable ways.

The company operates in a day-lit factory in which grey water is recycled, the manufacturing process is low emission and even the once-petroleum-based machine lubricants have been replaced with soy-based ones.

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Material proposal ::: Metamaterials :: Hunia Tomoum

By hunia.tomoum | Published: December 28, 2011

Metamaterials
The Purpose of a Proposal:
Finding a way to reduce electricity consumption, and substitute it by Natural light emitted through fiber optics, and for that reason a material to store natural light during the day is required in order to emit it at night.

Material proposal:
Metamaterials are engineered materials having properties that may not be found in nature. They usually gain their properties from structure rather than composition. It allows us to work between basic and applied science, and experiment a wide area and explore unlimited capabilities. Those materials have negative index of refraction which does not exist in nature which allows us to explore the other half of optical field that has not been studied. The negative refractive index can be used to efficiently bring light to a complete standstill.

Consequently, I went through some research material that explains the original scientific concept of bringing light speed to zero, in order to comprehend how it works in the scale of atoms, so that I would be able to employ it in the metamaterial properties I need.

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