Innovation

A better building block for creating new materials Researchers describe a new way to synthesize organic “Legos,” a chemical framework that can be easily modified and controlled to create new materials with unique properties. A graphical representation of the covalent organic frameworks, or COFs, created by a collaborative team of experimental and theoretical chemists. Large porphyrin structures (labelled as TAPP) form an egg carton-like lattice that forms multiple stacks, with pyridine molecules (shown in blue) filling the spaces in between the layers. An electrical current is depicted in green. (Image: Felice Macera) When chemists or engineers want to make a new type...

Bee’ah to make construction materials from recyclables Firm alongwith Seramic Materials will recycle ashes from municipal solid waste incinerators into construction materials Pixabay Construction materials will be manufactured from ashes from municipal solid waste incinerators. [representational] by Ranju Warrier 18 Jan 2020 Sharjah-based public-private partnership firm Bee’ah has inked a deal with UAE-based startup Seramic Materials that makes sustainable ceramics from recycled materials to explore potential of recycling ashes from municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) into construction materials. Signed at the World Future Energy Summit during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2020, the deal will recycle ashes from MSWI from Bee’ah’s...

Converting Plastic Waste Into Construction Materials Each year, about 300 million tons of waste plastic are produced, according to UNEP. Plastic waste accumulates just about everywhere from oceans, bays, and coastlines to riversheds, lakes, and population centers. It’s a well-known global problem, and yet where are the solutions? The Center for Regenerative Design and Collaboration (CRDC), which is based in Costa Rica, has been developing a process to convert waste plastic into building materials like bricks and concrete. The President and CEO at CRDC, Donald Thompson, answered some questions about the materials for CleanTechnica.  Image credit: Donald Thompson How are you able to take...

Biodegradable Construction Materials for Farmhouse Owners People look for new ways to go green every day. They embrace things like solar energy panels that have become more affordable over the years and cars that operate on alternative fuels. It's easy to live an eco-friendly lifestyle when you make personal changes in your daily life, but what about construction? Those who dream about building a farmhouse might feel conflicted about using traditional construction materials that aren't sustainable. If you're looking for a greener way to build your dream home, read about these biodegradable construction materials for farmhouse owners. Whether you're building...

WELCOME TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE FUTURE bout 30 miles north of Chicago in suburban Deerfield, a construction trailer is parked behind the old headquarters of Textura — a company Oracle bought for $663 million in April 2016. A steel fence circles the site and gravel carpets the cold ground.  It may not look like much, but this unassuming site is the home of the Oracle Innovation Lab: a live construction site where the software-as-a-service firm’s global technology partners and customers come to test new tech.  Built in just three weeks last year, the Oracle Innovation Lab was initially...