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The Living Concrete Experiment: Cultivation of Photosynthetically Active Microalgal on Concrete Finish Blocks
Full text linkClimate change is a global critical issue. High carbon dioxide emissions and concentrations
are important factors. In the construction field, concrete contributes significantly to greenhouse
gas emissions. Therefore, a pioneering team of researchers has developed a new “living concrete”
construction finish material capable of scrubbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The material
consists of ASTM (ASTM is the acronym for American Society for TestingMaterials)-certified concrete
block(s) with Chlorella vulgaris cultivated on the surface. Chlorella vulgaris is a common micro-algae
with photosynthetic activity; these species require water, nutrients, light, and carbon dioxide to
live while releasing oxygen in return. The “living concrete” block was developed in dedicated
laboratories; its photosynthetic activity was quantified. Proposed as an external application assembly
to a new or an existing building envelope—up to 3 m high, i.e., anthropogenic street-level emissions,
or installed on roof(s) in horizontal mode—this concrete/biological composite material reverses
carbon dioxide emissions and may present itself as a valid solution for climate change issues in urban
moderate climates
Strategies and solutions to green concrete construction material
Full text linkWith escalating adverse effects, climate change is, presently, a critical global issue. The primary agent is the atmospheric high level of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Concrete significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Green building is, therefore, a professional responsibility. This analysis briefly proposes various possibilities for reverting to green concrete in construction, advising strategies and solutions implementable at the several life cycle phases of the construction material. Multi-faceted sustainable aspects would pertain to eco-friendly extraction and manufacturing processes, thermal energy-efficient layout, scrubbing of pollutants, and recyclability. In particular, the study sheds light on an important experimental possibility of symbiosing the inert building material with the biological realm: the Living Concrete. At Politecnico Di Milano – Department of Architecture, Built Environment & Construction Engineering, we, first, realized a symbiotic concrete tile with macro-algae Ulva lactuca; then, we developed the experiment to conceive a novel “living concrete” construction finish material designed to absorb/scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This material consists of concrete blocks with Chlorella vulgaris cultivated on their surface. C. vulgaris is common microalgae with photosynthetic activity. This new photosynthetic concrete finish material was further developed and realized at the University of Verona – Department of Biotechnology with the help of expert professors. Researching effective negative greenhouse gas emissions techniques (NGHGET) from the chemical, physical and/or biological realm presents a valid approach to address and solve climate change problem
Simulating Heat Transfer Performance for Double-Walls Concrete Residential Building Envelope in Mediterranean Climate
Full text linkFactually, carbon dioxide or CO2 is the main global warming agent. In Europe, 36% to 40%, of CO2 emanate from buildings. In cold climate, decreasing heating loads, would reduce related CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Adequately designed/constructed building envelope minimizes heat transfer between the heated-to-comfort inner space and the naturally-cold outer environment. Through simulating a case study, this research investigates the construct, comparing the heat transfer performance of the single to the double-wall concrete residential building envelope. First, a virtual laboratory is set in COMSOL Multiphysics® version 6.0 simulation software: parameters related to the internal and external temperature are initially set as well as those related to proposed materials properties. Second, a prototype residential apartment plan is drawn, first, with a single-concrete-wall construction and then, with a double-wall concrete. Third, the heat transfer performance, through both layouts, is simulated. Within the wall space, the first simulation shows interference of the internal temperature with the external one while the second simulation shows non-interference, except at structural jointing continuous elements. Hence, a double-wall concrete envelope would insulate the inner heated space from the external cold environment. This would, eventually, require less internal heat to reach/stabilize internal comfort temperature due to adequate separation of the heated wall layer from the cold one. This phenomenon would imply reduced heating energy loads and, consequently, effective decrease of emitted CO2 and other GHG amounts. In conclusion, wise construction assessment, together with the adoption of advanced simulation tools, may effectively minimize CO2 and other GHG emissions from residential buildings in cold climate. Collected in a dedicated database, future research would simulate various other possible climatic conditions adopting different building envelope materials
The Living Concrete Experiment: Cultivation of Photosynthetically Active Microalgal on Concrete Finish Blocks
No full textClimate change is a global critical issue. High carbon dioxide emissions and concentrations are important factors. In the construction field, concrete contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, a pioneering team of researchers has developed a new "living concrete" construction finish material capable of scrubbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The material consists of ASTM (ASTM is the acronym for American Society for Testing Materials)-certified concrete block(s) with Chlorella vulgaris cultivated on the surface. Chlorella vulgaris is a common micro-algae with photosynthetic activity; these species require water, nutrients, light, and carbon dioxide to live while releasing oxygen in return. The "living concrete" block was developed in dedicated laboratories; its photosynthetic activity was quantified. Proposed as an external application assembly to a new or an existing building envelope-up to 3 m high, i.e., anthropogenic street-level emissions, or installed on roof(s) in horizontal mode-this concrete/biological composite material reverses carbon dioxide emissions and may present itself as a valid solution for climate change issues in urban moderate climates
Design Thinking for Managerial Business
Full text linkBorrowed from the Landscaping and Architectural design fields, Design Thinking constructs may be, efficiently, applied to the field of managerial business for innovation, added value and growth. Based on the experience of the Authors, this article proposes a Design Thinking methodology for the decision makers. Furthermore, it is an insight to add value by researching green solutions. Finally, the article recommends learning from nature for a performance of excellence
On Green Concrete
Full text linkThis paper is a short review of green concrete as claimed per latest related literature. Green concrete refers to concrete
mixtures production with lesser greenhouse gases emissions than standard concrete mixture, or to a concrete mixture
with one or more green components – such as silica fume or fly ash, or to pollutants absorbing concrete in constructed
projects and/or to any other sustainable concrete technique. A leading Italian concrete manufacturer group claims the
provision of a new air scrubbing green concrete combining all the above techniques. Air scrubbing is based on a photo catalytic principle whereby natural or artificial light activates an oxidation process converting noxious pollutants into
harmless compounds. Green concrete promotes sustainability in a creative way; thus, improving global human health
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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