NEWS
TECHNOLOGYSPOTLIGHT
Advances in technology across industry
Partnership aims to develop 3D concrete printing in construction
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kanska and Loughborough University have signed a collaboration agreement to develop the use of 3D printing in construction. The aim of the agreement is to allow Skanska to use – under licence – 3D concrete printing technology developed through research at Loughborough University, applying it to real applications. A team in the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough, led by Dr Richard Buswell and Professor Simon Austin, have worked on the development of 3D printing technology for the construction industry since 2007. The team have developed 3D concrete printers fitted to a gantry and a robotic arm, which is now in its second-generation form. The printer deposits a high-performance concrete precisely under computer control. It works by laying down successive layers of concrete until the entire object is created. The printer can make things which cannot be manufactured by conventional processes such as complex structural components, curved cladding panels and architectural features. The aim of the initial 18-month development programme is to develop the world’s first commercial concrete printing robot. Working with Skanska are a number of influential collaborators including Foster and Partners, Buchan Concrete, ABB and Lafarge Tarmac. Dr Richard Buswell from the Building Energy Research Group at Loughborough University comments: “The modern construction industry is becoming more and more demanding in terms of design and construction. We have reached a point where new developments in construction manufacturing are required to meet the new challenges and our research has sought to respond to that challenge.” Visit: www.lboro.ac.uk
22 Industry Europe
PowerCell converts waste from olive oil production into electricity
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he Nordic leading fuel cell technology company PowerCell has announced a technology developing project to convert toxic waste from olive oil production into electricity. Biogas2PEM-FC is an EU project that PowerCell coordinates. Together with partners from Spain, Greece, Sweden and the UK, a complete pilot plant has been built in Andalucía, Spain. The waste from olive oil production is environmentally harmful and costly to dispose of. It contains pesticides and toxic organic compounds, it is also acidic and has a high salinity. Currently the waste is turned to landfill, but which is very costly and becomes a major environmental problem. A three-part subsystem was developed; the primary step is an anaerobic digestion reaction to produce biogas from the waste, the second step is a reformer to convert the biogas to a hydrogen rich gas (reformate), and a last step -the fuel cell system to make electricity from the reformate gas. “With this concept we solve two problems at once. We deplete toxic waste while producing electricity and heat on a small-scale, environmentally friendly way, without any harmful emissions. This solution has a very high potential. It is estimated that up to 30 million cubic metres of wastewater is produced annually, during a three to four-month period, on an olive oil plant, water that can be used in biogas production. The technology developed in this project can also be used with other agricultural waste”, said Per Ekdunge, project coordinator, and vice-president and CTO of PowerCell Sweden AB. Visit: www.powercell.se
‘Sky Pod’ gives view of life on Earth from ‘edge of space’ A
purpose-designed ‘sky pod’ containing fragile electronic and imaging equipment and carried by helium weather balloon is making regular journeys to the edge of space to provide views of life from 23 miles (38km) high above earth. The pod has been designed by UK company SentintoSpace and is manufactured from expanded polystyrene – a material recently renamed ‘airpop’ across Europe. It is being developed commercially for use by scientists and photographers – both amateur and professional. Its precision-moulded internal compartments prevent the sensitive onboard equipment from becoming dislodged during the flight whilst at the same time providing thermal protection from temperatures in space falling as low as minus 50°C. Alex Baker from SentintoSpace said, “In the past we’ve used basic styrene containers but we saw the opportunity for a purpose-designed
pod for use by scientists, photographers and teachers who aim to create an engaging learning platform for science education in schools. Airpop is the ideal material for ‘edge of space’ photography as in addition to thermal protection it offers very low weight for the upward flight combined with very high impact resistance for the return landing on earth.” Visit: www.sentintospace.com
