Materializing ideas for a better planet
In recent days there has been much talk about the development of new materials for construction; the novelty, they are recycled and their creators are young university students.
The new generations know that they are living in a state of environmental emergency. The crisis of natural resources, states of environmental contingency and other related phenomena, are part of their daily life. There are so many problems that humanity faces, as there are numerous research challenges aimed at redressing the relationship between man and his environment. Under this approach, a group of young university students are dedicating their efforts to the creation of new materials for construction under the same premise: to be friendly with the environment.
At the UNAM, Gregorio Allan Rodríguez Ortiz, of the civil engineering career of FES Aragón, with just 25 years old founded a company called Ingenia Concretos that is dedicated to creating concrete plates capable of purifying the air up to 30 percent of the harmful particles that float in the atmosphere. These plates can be used for finishing buildings and facades, on sidewalks, parking lots or gardens; They are very resistant and also have the advantage of being permeable and reused after their useful life to make a new batch of the same material.
Although they do not have a large plant and the price per square meter is one thousand 200 pesos, the creators of this new concrete trust that people prefer it for its aesthetic and above all ecological benefits.
Another step towards the creation of sustainable materials was given by the UPAM (Polytechnic University of Amozoc, Puebla), where a project is being carried out – developed by CONACYT – to create paving stones or tiles from the recycling of PET bottles.
Professor Juan Antonio Zamora Rodríguez, UPAM academic deputy director, explained that the paving created from the recycling of bottles that are discarded in the institution, provide a resistant piece with a duration of approximately 20 years, subjected to weather conditions and mechanical efforts; although he warned that if the recycled PET was combined with pure PET and other additives, the useful life of these paving stones would increase.
"It has several advantages because it is a polymer, consequently it has long-lasting characteristics, since it does not disintegrate easily in the environment. The mold was designed with a specific structure in the form of a hexagon, with transversal supports to reinforce it and prevent it from breaking when being used as a light transit floor ".
The teacher Zamora Rodriguez also indicated that the purpose of this material is that it can be located in the corridors of the university and, later, on sidewalks of the campus. The final goal is that the project detonates in a company of alternative materials so that the tile can be produced on a larger scale and be competitive in the construction industry.