A pioneering open-source platform for the new generation of cloud applications
May 2, 2023
The number of summer days has increased from 90 to 145, in the last 50 years, according to a UPC study
May 12, 202304/05/2023
Currently, concerns about sustainability are increasing in the construction sector, due to its contribution to climate change. Approximately a third of carbon dioxide emissions are produced by this sector in the construction phase and in the functioning of buildings.
Another environment challenge is the abundance of waste produced by agriculture, industrial processes and products that reach the end of their useful life. One path towards greater sustainability is to recover this waste for its use as raw materials.
Consequently, it is of great interest to use more sustainable construction materials and reduce the amount of cement that is required. To this requirement we can add the increasing demand for durability, performance, sustainability and safety of these materials. In this context, the project RECYBUILDMAT is developed with the participation of the Textile Technology Research Group (TECTEX), of the Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation of Terrassa (INTEXTER), at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC).
The main aim of the project is to develop new sustainable construction materials based on cement or lime mixed with nanosilica, produced from byproducts of maize or rice agriculture, reinforced using nonwoven fabric made from textile waste fibres. These materials could be applied in multifunctional panels of ventilated façades, floating flooring and panels for roofs, and as reinforcement of structures made from brick and stone when old and historical buildings are renovated.
As part of RECYBUILDMAT, the use of fibres and additives recovered from textile and agricultural waste in construction products will reduce the environmental problems associated with the accumulation of waste, generate more sustainable construction materials and advance towards the circular economy.
In addition, the project will enable progress in knowledge on the recovery of raw materials from waste, and on the combination of these fibres and additives with cement- or lime-based materials to produce construction products for various applications. In addition, the results will help to develop new sustainable construction materials that will contribute to improving the energy efficiency of buildings and cutting the emissions generated by the construction sector.
Budget and funding
The project has obtained funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation as part of the Spanish ‘State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2017–2020’. It has a budget of €248,050. RECYBUILDMAT will last four years (June 2020 – May 2024)
Technology
Topic
You want to know more?
Related Projects
- The Visualisation, Virtual Reality and Graphic Interaction Research Group (ViRVIG) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) has participated in the XR4ED project, an initiative that connects the educational technology (EdTech) and Extended Reality (XR) sectors, with the aim of transforming learning and training across Europe.
- The inLab FIB at the UPC has collaborated with Lizcore® for the development of a proof of concept based on artificial intelligence to improve safety in climbing with autobelay devices. The system allows the automatic and accurate detection of risk situations before starting a route.
- Researchers from the Centre for Image and Multimedia Technology of the UPC (CITM) and from the DiCode research group (Digital Culture and Creative Technologies Research Group) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) have worked on the project The Eyes of History, an initiative of the Catalan Agency for Cultural Heritage that offers an immersive view of Catalan cultural heritage. It is especially aimed at the first and second cycles of secondary education and was created to bring heritage into the classroom. Its goal is to bring the history and monuments of Catalonia closer in a vivid and innovative way, using tools such as virtual reality and new museographic narratives.
- City and Play is a social action project coordinated by researchers from the Centre for Image and Multimedia Technology (CITM) and the DiCode research group (Digital Culture and Creative Technologies Research Group) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC), the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and the University of Barcelona (UB), and funded by Barcelona City Council. The aim of the project is to promote civic competences and reflection on the urban environment among adolescents through the creation of an open framework that uses methodologies based on play, co-creation and storytelling.
