Category Archives: Students

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/

Also posted in Diana Raquel León Roman, IC.2 Energy | Comments closed

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

Also posted in Anna Popova, IC.2 Energy | Comments closed

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.

Also posted in HUNIA TOMOUM, IC.2 Energy | Comments closed

Final Submission ::: Energy

By hunia.tomoum | Published: December 28, 2011

Also posted in Alessandra Antonetti, Golrokh Shahbaz, Guruprakash Gonvidasami, HUNIA TOMOUM, IC.2 Energy, Minu Surana, Uncategorized | Comments closed

Razzmatazz – Dancing Energy

By seiichi.suzuki | Published: December 23, 2011

RAZZMATAZZ ANALYSIS

Ventilation:

Works 100% on artificial ventilation since all the windows are sealed in order to keep the sound inside to avoid sound pollution.                                                                    Strategy: Reduce the usage of artificial ventilation

MISTING SYSTEM 

Consist on introducing ultra-fine water droplets into the atmosphere so they can quickly absorb the energy present in the environment and boil off (evaporate). The energy (heat) that is used to produce this state, change from liquid to gas, is eliminated from the atmosphere, hence the air is called by the process called evaporative cooling.

Energy Generation:

The concentration of people dancing creates an energy that should be considered.                                                                                                                                                   Strategy: Generate energy with the dance floor.

Material Cycle:

One night with full attendance will use 3750 plastic glasses that are thrown to the garbage.                                                                                                                                    Strategy: Alternative materials for glasses.

Lighting:

The current incandescent-lighting system produces more heat than lighting. Creating more energy consumption on ventilation system.                                                       Strategy: Alternative ways for lighting.

The new proposal for the Razzmatazz promotes the creation of opened holes at the roof of the “salas”. By doing so air keeps moving from the bottom to the top, the water drops with the heat turn into vapor and then go out with the air. This system will work in a big space like razzmatazz’s dancing room because the air can moves quickly inside.

Lots of factories in China are using this system in the interior instead of A/C systems, it is cheap and effective. It was also used at Shanghai expo 2010.

The A/C system is a filter for vapor, it inhales the vapor and disposes of the water sending filtrated dry air out. That is why people feel dry in small rooms with the A/C system on.

Also posted in Anna Popova, Esteban Sepulveda, IC.2 Energy, Jianhong Wu, Lok Man Lee, Marco Manduzio, Nicolas Fueyo, Seif El-Din Shawky, SEIICHI EDUARDO SUZUKI ERAZO | Comments closed