Recerca
Ecomaterials km0
The reuse of materials considered as waste can become a challenge for the manufacture of new products to replace others that are not biodegradable, that have a high carbon footprint, but that are disconnected from the production process based on a circular economy.
This research, carried out by Carolina García Espinar, tutored by Dr. Francesc Masdeu and Dr. Joan Muñoz, within the framework of a final degree project (Building) at the University of the Balearic Islands, is is aimed at exploring the creation of new materials with raw materials that are currently considered waste in Majorca, in order to achieve a new zero-kilometre material.
- Web: Architectural Constructions and Building Engineering Research Group (UIB/FUEIB)
- Photographs: José Taltavull
The materials obtained are organic and are composed of almond shells, olive pits, grape skins and flour, along with binders such as pine resin dissolved with acetone and crushed prickly pear leaves.
All these materials have been combined to create a variety of samples for the study, and based the results obtained, samples lacking cohesion, hardness and stability have been discarded.
The combinations and final dosages that do show good cohesion, hardness and stability open up a new field of research for the development of new zero-kilometre materials in the field of construction, based on ecological products that are currently considered waste, thus creating a new life cycle within a circular economy model.