Tiles Made From Hard-to-Recycle Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT)
by: design milk, 2014-04-24 17:00:51 UTC
Ever think about those old TVs we used to have long before our beloved flat panels? Those big, boxy television sets, along with computer monitors, were outfitted with Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) that are now overtaking landfills with about 860 million pounds of waste because they’re extremely hard to recycle. San Francisco-based Fireclay Tile has a different idea. Take the old CRT glass and turn them into recycled glass tile.
When the company started replacing their old computers, it made the owner Paul Burns wonder what was happening to those old monitors. After finding out they just pile up in landfills, he figured out a way to take your old computer and turn them into tiles.
The super thick glass is separated from the rest of the monitor and once it’s deemed safe, it’s crushed and demagnetized. The material then goes through a multi-step crushing process that turns the glass particles into tiny pieces that can then melt when exposed to heat. The glass is cast into molds with a bit of white color pigment to lighten the natural CRT color. The result is a lighter gray color that they’ve named Phosphor.
The tiles are available in 2 x 8″, 2 x 4″, and penny round mosaic sizes and you can choose from Gloss or Matte finishes.
The Trash Closet Raises Awareness of Global Waste
by: design milk, 2014-04-25 14:00:52 UTC
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 statistics of: 9.8 million tons of furniture ended up in landfills in the USA during 2009. Besides the obvious that it’s a LOT of waste, that number is also concerning because the EPA also states that furniture is the least recycled out of all household items.
In an effort to raise awareness about the environmental impact of global consumerism, Dutch designers Marijke & Sander Lucas created The Trash Closet, which is made completely of leftover furniture that would’ve otherwise gone to the landfill. They scavenged the furniture from the streets of Amsterdam, which most people left as trash. However, the designers looked closer to see what possibilities the ‘trash’ could lead to, and created a beautiful piece of functional art that also educates.
From the designer:
Considering the environmental devastations occurring on a global-scale; ranging from deforestation in the Amazon to our global consumerism crisis, The Trash Closet is intended to be an aesthetic attention grabber with the purpose of educating individuals to be more cautious with what they do with old furniture.
The final prototype is available at Dutch Design Only and available as a limited edition.
Nontoxic Flame Retardants from Whey
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2014-04-02 15:31:59 UTC
Whey is generally a waste byproduct from cheese- and yogurt-making. Producers need to find ways to dispose of it, and often it is discharged into wastewater systems. Research at the Polytechnic University of Turin is being done to explore the use of whey as a replacement for toxic compounds used as flame retardants.
Treated fabrics are kept from burning as readily because the casein from whey forms a layer of char on the surface when it is exposed to heat, which prevents the fire from spreading as readily. Tests on cotton and polyester materials often self-extinguished, and tests on cotton-polyester were also inhibited and burned more slowly.
While the tests have been promising, the process is not yet ready for commercialization because "the cheese-treated fabrics stink." But, if the compounds that cause the odor can be removed, this can be a technology to remove more harmful chemicals from common use and make use of a waste product at the same time. And, it could give the word "cheesecloth" a whole new meaning.
image: CC BY-SA 3.0 by Oscar/Wikimedia Commons
via: Environmental Building News
Ontario Completely Off Coal
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2014-04-16 03:06:33 UTC
The Canadian province of Ontario has officially shut down its last coal burning power plant.
Power for the province now comes from "emission-free electricity sources like wind, solar, nuclear and hydropower, along with lower-emission electricity sources like natural gas and biomass." The province had set a target of the end of 2014 to end its use of coal to generate electricity.
The Thunder Bay Generating Station was the last coal fueled power plant in the province. Now that it has burned the last of its coal supply, the plant will be converted to a biomass-fueled power plant.
image: CC 2.0 by Kyle MacKenzie
Hat tip to @TomMatzzie
More detail on those Chinese 3D-printed houses
by: TreeHugger Design, 2014-04-24 13:25:36 UTC
Winsun New Materials appears to have cracked the code on 3D printing of houses.
Indoor air quality sensors could be coming to your smartphone
by: TreeHugger Science, 2014-04-16 11:00:00 UTC
New nanotechnology could enable indoor air quality monitoring wherever we go.
BMW i3 Electric Vehicle Wins ‘World Green Car’ and ‘Design of the Year’ Awards at the 2014 New York Auto Show
by: Inhabitat , 2014-04-17 21:15:55 UTC
The World Car of the Year Awards were given out today at the 2014 New York Auto Show, and the BMW i3 electric car was crowned the Green Car Of The Year and the Car Design Of The Year. The BMW i3 beat out the Audi A3 and the VW XL1 in the green car category, and the Mazda3 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in the design category.
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Post tags: 2014 new york auto show, BMW, BMW i, bmw i3, electric car, electric motor, green car, green car of the year, green transportation, world car awards, world car design of the year
Vascular self-healing system allows composite materials to repair multiple times
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2014-04-16 07:08:44 UTC
We've seen numerous examples of self-healing polymers that allow materials to repair themselves after being damaged. One of the more common approaches involves the use of
embedded microcapsules that release a healing agent when damaged. Researchers have expanded on this idea to develop a new technique that brings self-healing capabilities to fiber-reinforced composite materials, like those used in airplanes and automobiles...
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Vascular self-healing system allows composite materials to repair multiple times
Section: Science
Tags: Materials,
Microchannel,
Repair,
Self-healing,
University of Illinois
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A Home That is Heated and Cooled Organically
by: Jetson Green, 2014-04-15 00:14:50 UTC
A team of students at Waseda University in Japan have constructed a prototype for a house that can be heated by composting straw. They dubbed the dwelling the “Recipe for Life” house. Using the heat generating composting process for the purpose of heating a dwelling is not a new idea, but it is definitely one that should be explored further, and perhaps brought closer to the public. The Recipe for Life prototype house is certainly an interesting proposition in that regard.
The interior walls of the house are made of acrylic boxes, which are packed with the straw for composting. The exterior walls are also covered by straw, over which wooden panels, with handles for easier removal are placed. The prototype the students built uses a traditional composting technique called “bokashi” (which translates as “fermented organic matter”) that is quite simple to achieve. As it ferments, the straw inside the walls releases about 30 degree Celsius (86 degree Fahrenheit) of heat for a period of 4 weeks. The fermentation process of straw is considered low-odor, though the nature of the process means that there is at least some odor present. The design also makes it possible to cool the home in the hotter months of the year.
In the summer, the acrylic boxes that make up the walls of the house are packed with straw. This straw then dries inside the large, see-through boxes that are stacked along the interior walls of the house. During this process, moisture is released, which cools the interior of the house. In the winter, on the other hand, the straw ferments inside the walls, giving off lots of heat as a byproduct.
For this house to function properly, the straw would have to be exchange a few times per year. Also, the fermentation process only produces heat once it has reached a certain stage in its organic breakdown process. This means that the heating of a house utilizing this system would have to be interrupted when the time to replace the straw comes. This is certainly one of the drawbacks of this method. The design does, however, provide household heating and cooling in a totally natural, and organic fashion and is definitely worth exploring further in an effort to find more practical applications.
This Concrete-Eating Robot Can Recycle An Entire Building On The Spot
by: Co.Exist, 2014-04-16 13:07:00 UTC
More concrete is manufactured than any other material on the planet. Luckily, the ERO robot has a healthy appetite.
Knocking down a concrete building usually takes brute force: Wrecking balls, huge excavators, or explosives rip apart walls while fire hoses spray water to keep the clouds of dust down. It's an energy-intensive process, and after everything's been torn apart, the concrete often ends up in a landfill or has to be trucked to a recycling facility. But a new concrete-erasing robot may eventually transform the messy business of demolition.
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