Innovative sustainable technologies

P. Prabhu Teja1, P. Vijay Kumar2,

#

IV/IV B.Tech, K.L.University

Pprabhuteja24@gmail.com
Polimeru.vijaykumar@gmail.com
Abstract Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. To keep our homes and
buildings sustainable, we have to practice the technologies which
satisfies all the social, environmental and economical needs of this
fast growing world. This paper discusses about few green
technological inventions which can keep us in the race of
sustainable growth and which has lot of potential for future
development, like Bubble deck slab, Embedded hydronic pipe
systems, Light transmitting concrete, Nano solar paints, Nano
hydrophobic surfaces, sun pipe, plasma converter etc. Among all
we have made the models of Bubble deck slab and Light
transmitting concrete which we can display during presentation.
Keywords Bubble deck slab, hydronic systems, Litracon,
Plasma converter.

I. INTRODUCTION
Sustainable development (SD) is a pattern of resource use,
that aims to meet human needs while preserving the
environment so that these needs can be met not only in the
present, but also for generations to come. As far as the civil
engineering is concerned it is nothing but Green building
concept. Green building (also known as green construction or
sustainable building) refers to a structure and using process that
is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient
throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design,
construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and
demolition. This practice expands and complements the
classical building design concerns of economy, utility,
durability, and comfort. In this paper we have discussed about
the sustainable technologies like
Bubble deck slab,
Light transmitting concrete,
Co2 absorbing concrete[3]
Nano solar technology[4],
Plasma converter[5],
Retrofitting with sensor-embedded FRP textiles[6].
II. BUBBLE DECK SLAB
The Bubble Deck[1] slab is a revolutionary biaxial concrete
floor system developed in 20th century. High density
polyethylene hollow spheres replace the in effective concrete in
the centre of the slab , thus decreasing the dead weight and
increasing the efficiency of the floor .These biaxial slabs have
many advantages over a conventional solid concrete slab: lower
cost, reduced material use enhanced structural efficiency,
decreased construction time , and is a given technology..

Materials

Bubble deck is composed of three main materials

steel, plastic spheres and concrete
Steel The steel reinforcement Is of grade
Fy60 strength or higher. The steel is
fabricated in two forms meshed layers for
lateral support and diagonal girders for
vertical support of the bubbles.

Plastic spheres- The hollow spheres are made

from recycled high-density polyethylene or
HDPE.
Concrete-the concrete is made of standard
Portland cement with max aggregate size of
inch. No plasticizers are necessary for
concrete mixture.

ADVANTAGES
A. Economic savings

Savings in materials (slabs, pillars, fundaments) are

substantial (up to 50 %)
Manual mounting of reinforcement meshes on the
building site is avoided
Transportation costs are heavily reduced
Subsequent work (installations) are simplified
Buildings are more flexible

Changes are much less costly

Life span of buildings is longer
All saving effects combined may offer a savings
potential of 5 - 15 % of the total cost.
B. Environmental Improvement
Savings in materials - up to 50 % - 1 kg of plastic
replaces more than 100 kg of concrete
Less energy consumption - both in production,
transport and carrying out
Less emission - exhaust gases from production and
transport, especially CO2
No waste generation - 100 % recycling
Better social environment:
Improvement of working conditions
Reduced building time means less disturbance of
surroundings
Less emission of noise - in production, transport and
assembly
The reduction in energy consumption and emission is
in the same order as the
savings in materials - up to 50 %
C. General advantages
Different building types have different advantages, but
general benefits include:
Design Freedom flexible layout easily adapts to
irregular & curved plan layouts.
Reduced Dead Weight -35% removed allowing
smaller foundation sizes.
Longer spans between columns up to 50% further
than traditional structures.
Down stand Beams eliminated quicker & cheaper
erection of walls and services.
Load bearing walls eliminated facilitating MMC
with lightweight building envelopes.
Reduced concrete usage 1 kg recycled plastic
replaces 100 kg of concrete.
Environmentally Green and Sustainable reduced
energy & carbon emissions.
a. 8% of global CO2 emissions are due to
cement production. 1 ton of cement:
Releases 1 ton of CO2
Consumes 5 million BTU of energy
Uses 2 ton of raw materials
b. Due to the Bubble Deck technologies green
gredentials, the use of the BubbleDeck
system qualifies for LEED points in North
America
COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL SOLID
SLAB

EXPERMENTAL STUDY:
After realizing numerous constructions in the world,
which use Bubble Deck concrete slabs with spherical gaps,
valuable information were gathered, allowing a rigorous
processing and systematization, with the purpose of realizing
an experimental and documentary study. For that study we
have referred the research conducted in Massachusetts
institute of technology (MIT).In which a Bubble Deck slab
of 1:1 scale is prepared and tested. And for our reference and
approximate comparative analysis we have prepared two
slabs of 30cm X 40cm

 PRODUCT INFORMATION
The combination of two extremely versatile materials
provides architects and designers a multitude of new
creative possibilities. The concrete panels retain all the
properties of high quality concrete. In addition, they
display layers of glass optical fibers that transmit light
from the back to the panel to the front.
ADVANTAGES
White or colourful illumination elements can be utilized
to create special light and color effects. Decorative
elements used in interior design.
APPLICATIONS
A multitude of decorative interior architectural elements
Materials
Concrete
Optical glass fibers

III. LIGHT TRANSMITTING CONCRETE

Due to economic development and space utilization
requirements, high rise buildings and skyscrapers arc mostly
built in metropolitan areas around the world, especially those
countries with great populations. Those buildings are isolated
biosphere only based on man-made lights to maintain peoples
optical activities. For example, China consumes 25% of global
architectural energy and 13% of that energy is used to power
lighting. At present, green structures focus greatly on saving
energy with indoor thermal systems. However, in the area of
illumination fields, there is very little research offering relevant
solutions. Research on the intrinsic characteristics of the optical
identity in construction materials is still at its infancy. Due to
its outstanding light guiding and sensing advantages, such as
anti-electromagnetic interference capability, small dimensions,
distributed measurement and anti-corrosion characteristics,
optical fibers have been widely adopted in the communication
and sensing fields. It is considered to be one of the best sensor
materials available and has been used widely since the 1990s.
Hungarian architect, Aron Losonczi, first introduced the idea of
light transmitting concrete in 2001 and then successfully
produced the first transparent concrete block in 2003, named
LiTraCon[3], shown as figure 1. However, his transparent
concrete did not have smart sensing properties.

PROJECTS BICYCLE SIGNS FOR MALMO CITY

Expeimental study:

including homes, buildings, roads, bridges, airports and

subways, just to name a few. And in an era of increased
attention on the environmental impact of construction, concrete
performs well when compared to other building materials. As
with any building product, production of concrete and its
ingredients does require energy that in turn results in the
generation of carbon dioxide, or Co2. The amount of Co2
produced during manufacturing and the net impact of using
concrete as a building material is relatively small.

IV. CO2 ABSORBING CONCRETE

Concrete is the most widely used building material in the
world because of its beauty, strength and durability, among
other benefits. Concrete is used in nearly every type of
construction,

Concrete is resource efficient and the ingredients

require little processing.
Most materials for concrete are acquired and
manufactured locally which minimizes transportation
energy.
Concrete building systems combine insulation with
high thermal mass and low air infiltration to make
homes and buildings more energy efficient.
Concrete has a long service life for buildings and
transportation infrastructure, thereby increasing the
period between reconstruction, repair and maintenance
and the associated environmental impact.
Concrete, when used as pavement or exterior cladding,
helps minimize the urban heat island effect thus
reducing the energy required to heat and cool our
homes and buildings.
Concrete incorporates recycled industrial byproducts
such as fly ash, slag and silica fume which helps
reduce embodied energy, carbon footprint and quantity
of land filled materials.
Concrete absorbs Co2 throughout its lifetime through a
process called carbonation, helping reduce its carbon
footprint.

Carbon sequestration by reacting naturally occurring Mg and

Ca containing minerals with Co2 to form carbonates has many
unique advantages. Most notably is the fact that, which is why
mineral carbonation is carbonates have a lower energy state
than thermodynamically favorable and occurs naturally (e.g.,
the weathering of rock over geologic time periods). Secondly,
the raw materials such as magnesium based minerals are
abundant. Finally, the produced carbonates are unarguably
stable and thus re-release of into the atmosphere is not an issue.
However, conventional carbonation pathways are slow under
ambient temperatures and pressures. The significant challenge
being addressed by this effort is to identify an industrially and
environmentally viable carbonation route that will allow
mineral sequestration to be implemented with acceptable
economics.

B. MAIN ADVANTAGE OF NANO-COATING

Co2 absorbing rock minerals

Olivine
Peridotite
Wollastonite
Serpentine

Some of the main advantages of nano- coating are:

Better surface appearance.
Good chemical resistance.
Decrease in permeability to corrosive environment and
hence better corrosion properties.
Optical clarity.
Increase in modulus and thermal stability.
Easy to clean surface.
Anti-skid, anti-fogging, anti-fouling and anti-graffiti
properties.
Better thermal and electrical conductivity.
Better retention of gloss and other mechanical
properties like scratch resistance.
Anti-reflective in nature
Chromate and lead free
Good adherence on different type of materials

V. NANO SOLAR PAINT

Small is beautiful is very famous statement of past but
now it has to be modified by small is not only beautiful but
powerful too. It is an age of nanotechnology where
everything is going smaller and smaller to create big
impression. Nanotechnology is one of hottest field which is
able to draw attention from all over the world, and it has
potential to outdate most of the technology existing today.
Because of its great application in future, chemists,
physicists, biologist and all other scientist from renowned
fields are putting their heads together, and targeting what
promises to be a new Industrial Revolution. Nanotechnology
will leave virtually no business untouched. The potential of
creation of materials from building blocks the size
comparable to virus will have tremendous
potential.
Whether Autos or airplanes, computers or chips, medicines
or cosmetics, chemicals or coatings,
construction and
energy all of these industrial sectors, and many more, are
facing the heat of nanotechnology and going to benefit
immensely from its application.
Cost of solar panel of 1m2 area is Rs. 6000 (approx)

A.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF NANOPARTICLES

Size of nano particles are smaller to wave length of
visible light.
Forces like Vander wall, electron resistance and
magnetic force play more dominant role than
gravitational force or inertia.
One of the most critical characteristics of
nanoparticles is their very high surface-to-volume
ratio, i.e. large fractions of surface atoms and thus
surface properties dominate bulk properties.
Nanoparticles improves many of desired properties
like chemical and heat resistance, reduction in weight
and opacity.

Nanosolar[4] combines a host of innovations to deliver a

distinct overall cost reduction.
VI. PLASMA CONVERTER
At the most basic level, a plasma waste converter[6] is a
plasma torch applied to garbage. A plasma torch uses a gas
and powerful electrodes to create plasma, sometimes called
the fourth state of matter. Plasma is an ionized gas; in other
words, its a gas with free-roaming electrons that carries a
current and generates a magnetic field. On Earth, we can see
natural displays of plasma fields in lightning.

The temperatures generated by a plasma torch can be

hotter than the surface of the sun (more than 6,000 degrees
Celsius). At these temperatures, garbage doesnt stand a
chance.
Molecules break down in a process called
molecular dissociation. When molecules are exposed to
intense energy (like the heat generated by a plasma torch),
the molecular bonds holding them together become excited
and break apart. What's left are the elemental components of
the molecules. With cyanide, for example, youll end up
with atoms of carbon and nitrogen.

A.

The solid byproduct from the gasification process is called

slag. The weight and volume of the original waste material is
dramatically reduced. According to Dr. Circeo of Georgia
Tech's Plasma Department:
The weight of the slag is about 20 percent of the weight
of the original waste
The volume of the slag is about 5 percent that of the
original waste's volume
The slag can take different forms depending on how you
cool it.

HOW PLASMA CONVERTERS WORK

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Pre-treatment
Plasma furnace
After burner
Steam turbines
Syngas cleaning tank
Emissions scrubbing

B. BYPRODUCTS OF THE PROCESS

There are three main byproducts that are a result of the
plasma gasification process:
synthetic gas (syngas),
slag
heat.
Syngas is a mixture of several gases but mainly comprises
hydrogen and carbon monoxide. It can be used as a fuel
source, and some plants use it to both provide power for the
plant and sell excess electricity to the power grid. Garbage
contains a great deal of potential energy; the gasification
process enables engineers to convert the potential energy
into electrical energy.

VII.

RETROFITTING WITH SENSOR-EMBEDDED FRP

TEXTILES

Buildings with historic value are regional cultural assets

worth preserving. At times, they also represent a potential
source of revenue and stimulus for the economical
revitalization of their neighborhoods. Earth quake loads are
often neglected in ancient constructions. To protect and to
safeguard the historical and cultural value of heritage
monuments certain protective measures shall be taken, in which
protection against earthquakes is of major concern. Seismic
retrofitting of constructions vulnerable to earthquakes is a
current problem of great political and social relevance. Seismic
retrofit becomes necessary if it is shown that, through a
seismic performance evaluation, the building does not meet
minimum requirements up to the current building code and may
suffer severe damage or even collapse during a seismic event.
Seismic retrofitting of buildings is a relatively new activity for
most structural engineers. The retrofitting of a building requires
an appreciation for the technical, economic and social aspects
of the issue in hand. Changes in construction technologies and
innovation in retrofit technologies present added challenge to
engineers in selecting a technically, economically and socially
acceptable solution. Conventional upgrading techniques usually
include the addition and/or strengthening of existing walls,
frames and foundations. Adopting these recommendations often
leads to heavy demolition, lengthy construction time,
reconstruction,

and occupant relocation with all the associated direct and

indirect costs. It is often the indirect costs, the environmentally
hostile approach, and the inconvenience associated with
conventional techniques that deter building owners and
custodians from committing to seismic retrofit. In less than a
decade, much progress has been made in developing innovative
structural and non-structural hazard reduction measures in
buildings. Advanced composite materials and new technologies
have been extensively researched and, to a lesser extent,
applied in seismic retrofit projects. Monitoring of structural
elements in response to seismic forces helps in identification of
vulnerable members need to be strengthened.
The effectiveness of maintenance and inspection programs is
only as good as their timely ability to reveal problematic
performance, hence the move to supplement limited and
intermittent inspection procedures by continuous, online, realtime and automated systems. So to retrofit as well as to monitor,
sensor-embedded CFRP textiles can be used. The combination
of warp-knitted grid-like basic structure and rope-like
reinforcement made out of high-ductile and high-strength fibre
material and the incorporation of optical fibres into textiles as
sensors and for signal transmission the incorporation of sensors
in textiles by coating the fibres with nanocrystalline
piezoceramic materials or by encapsulation of nano electric
particles.
Embedding sensors of different types into textile materials
enables very powerful advantages. Structural Health
Monitoring (SHM) becomes possible during construction,
under in-service conditions, and post-tragedy (i.e. after an
earthquake or flood). Such measurements can validate the
expected performance of a structure, be used for system
identification in the updating or development of predictive
models, or provide continuous or periodic assessments on the
integrity and safe performance of the structure being monitored.

CONCLUSIONS:
Sustainable development (SD) is a pattern of resource use, that
aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so
that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for
generations to come. As far as the civil engineering is
concerned it is nothing but Green building concept.

REFERENCES:
[1]

Structural behaviour of bubble deck slab and their

application to light weight bridge decks byTina lai

[2]

Research and Development of Plastic Optical Fiber

Based Smart transparent Concrete by Zhi Zhou

[3]

Co2 Mineral Sequestration Studies in US Philip

Goldberg1 , Zhong-Ying Chen2 , William
OConnor3,Richard Walters4 , and Hans Ziock

[4]

nanotechnology-enhanced thin-film solar cells:

Analysis of global research activities with future
Prospects I Ying guo IiAlan l. Porter Iii Lu huang

[5]

How Plasma Converters Work by Jonathan Strickland

[6]

Seismic Retrofit of Existing Buildings: Innovative

Alternatives Moe Cheung1 and Simon Foo Jacques
Granadino