Computer News and Updates

Article by Adrea Green

Green technologies for more than a century today have been our greatest weapons towards saving planet earth. Comprehensive environmental awareness campaigns have been launched all over the world to inform people of the different ecological benefits of using green energy. But all efforts seem to be not enough because brown energy technologies that desecrate the sanctity of the environment are still reigning supreme in the energy industry. Oil and coal still supply most of the world’s energy needs. Unfortunately, coal and oil are also the leading in the release of carbon gases into the atmosphere.

The primary reason why coal and oil are still the most widely used energy sources is because they have remained unrivaled in terms of efficiency for ages now. Efficiency has also been what held green technologies like solar power, wind power, biomass power, and hydro power back.

Most green energies cannot even fully sustain a consumer’s needs. They often need additional sources as supplement to suffice. And obviously, people prefer efficient forms of energy even if they harm the environment rather than green technologies that help preserve nature but are incapable of meeting their demands.

Finally, there is a green technology that has the potential to surpass even coal and oil when it comes to efficiency. This revolutionary process is called biosphere technology. Biosphere technology involves the use of biosphere machines to convert solid wastes into energy in the form of electricity.

Biosphere technology qualified as a green technology because of the fact that a biosphere machine subjects the feedstock under the biosphere gasification process inside tightly closed, oxygen limited containers thus greatly limiting the release of carbon gases into the atmosphere. The Biosphere MKV brought into the Philippines by Ronald Shane Flynn has broken records and is now recognized as the most efficient and most environment friendly technology. Its efficiency is represented by the fact than it can convert a maximum of 97% of the weight of the wastes into energy and more than 90% of the remaining by-products can be further processed to become resalable in the market. Its ecological friendliness on the other hand, is proven by the fact that during the entire waste-to-energy conversion process, only around 2% greenhouse gas emissions are produced. Biosphere technology is so environment-friendly it can even be classified as a carbon offset solution.

Biosphere technology not only prevents future air pollution, it also eliminates current land pollution because of the fact that it uses solid wastes for fuel. A single biosphere facility can convert the trash found in entire landfills into commercial electricity. Governments and organizations therefore now have one more reason to destroy waste, and that is to gain electrical power.

Biosphere technology also entails a more stable economy due to oil independence. Biosphere energy is a stand-alone form of energy, meaning it does not need to be supplemented by other forms of energy to meet the demands of consumers. Thus, a country with adequate amounts of biosphere facilities and machines no longer need to import oil to fuel their industries. The said countries then are no longer significantly affected by fluctuations in the price of oil in the global market.

Greener Concrete
Currently a lot of concrete products that are not green still have some fly ash content in them. By increasing the fly ash content to 20 to 70% of the cement mixture we are reducing the amount of fly ash that goes to landfills. Fly ash is a byproduct of burning coal for energy, it use to be sent up into the sky before environmental regulations finally stopped or reduced the fly ash into the atmosphere. As a result there is a lot of fly ash in the chimneys coal fire plants. (The best way to reduce fly ash is to reduce coal fire plants.) If a 50% fly ash mixture where used widely, it would reduce the worlds CO2 production by 4% (that is big).

By adding fly ash to the concrete mix we are creating a concrete that works differently than regular concrete, it does not make it worse, and it is less expensive than cement. It takes longer to set and dry- so the engineer needs to create a time line for the working strength of the concrete so the job can continue while the concrete is still curing. It takes less water, requires different admixtures, and can have more shrinkage cracks.

Material Reduction
By using fewer materials we can reduce the environmental impact. But there will be more labor involved in carefully calculating each beam individually, as opposed to the current standard of consistent and repetitive beam sizes. This could also reduce the quantity of bolts, welds, reduce shear wall length, and change stud spacing to 24 or 32 on center.

By use of a higher strength concrete, material can be reduced by thinner slabs, shorter and thinner shear walls, reduce deflection, and ultimately building weight.

Using high strength steel is not very practical. Standard steel shapes usually use standard steel strengths. It would be better to reduce the steel weight by increasing the depth of the beams for less deflection and widths of the posts for more efficient strengths.

Less material can reduce construction cost. There will be a learning curve for labor to be more attentive to small and frequent detail changes. More detailed plans will require more construction management and coordination. Wood projects or advance framing techniques will probably benefit the most from these changes. Concrete would benefit the least.

Advanced Systems
Advanced systems like energy dissipaters, system isolators, buckling restrained braced frames and steel plate shear walls can reduce materials and effects of earthquake damage on buildings. These systems require additional engineering and cost.

To justify these costs we need to consider the Life Cycle the building? How long is the building to last? Would it be better to spend more on materials and have a longer building life? Can the building adapt to other uses? And what will be the impact on the building when the earthquake hits tear it down or replace some isolators?

Green Aspects of Structural Materials
Current LEED credits for engineering are gained in these areas:
Fly ash counts as pre-consumer recycled content, MR4.
Significant use of fly ash has been awarded Innovation in Design credit, ID1.
Crushing existing concrete for aggregate counts as post consumer recycled content credit, MR4.
Using special aggregates, pozzolans and add mixtures can help achieve Innovation in Design credit, ID1.
Showing the extended life of the building may also help achieve Innovation in Design credit, ID1.
LEED does not look at the life cycle, flexibility or reuse of a building.

Recycled wood can go into particleboard, mulch, fuel and firewood. Larger members can be reused, but smaller members like 2x4s will split apart when nailed. Windows and doors can be recovered and reused. Wood is easily deconstructed and reused in some manner. Wood is the greenest building material. Trees store carbon. Wood comes from a rapidly renewable resource. The creation of lumber uses relatively low amounts of energy sometimes their own sawdust (biofuel) creates the energy to mill the timber.

Steel is the most recycled material in the world. Over 80% of the steel comes from recycled product. Reusing steel beams is fully practical. Steel can be constructed with deconstruction in mind by using less weld and more bolts. Avoid unusual or custom shapes that are more difficult to reuse. Steel is the strongest per volume building material used. Steel manufacturing has been dramatically cleaned up, most hazardous waste associated with manufacturing is being recovered and used beneficially. Steel is produced more efficiently yet still takes a lot of energy to melt.

Concrete can be reused as base material, gravel, aggregate for new concrete, and the steel can be recycled. Concrete slabs and walls cannot be recycled for structural use. Concrete has the largest carbon footprint. The production and pouring of one ton of concrete creates 1.25 tons of CO2 and significant heat. One 90-pound bag of cement creates 22291 cubic feet of CO2 (a volume equivalent to 28 cubic feet).

Using an existing building can be greener then building a new green building. When we consider all the waste from demolition, existing embodied energy in materials, labor, transportation and time in an existing building we can save more energy through reuse.
Reusing a building has social, economic and cultural impacts. Adding life, strength and safety to an old building often has less impact on the environment. Building design and structural systems should allow for easy reconfigurations and different uses. The envelope or curtain wall system should be removable to allow future renovated or modernized exterior. Simple building shapes would save in renovation costs.

(Toronto) – GreenCell Technologies GT5 Develops New Wireless Product to Complement HydroCell™ unit. GreenCell Technologies Inc. is pleased to announce the successful development and forthcoming release of a new product to complement its HydroCell™ unit.  Based on recent feedback from long-haul truckers, the GreenCell research team has now designed a wireless status indicator that will be manufactured and sold as a package in tandem with its popular Hydrogen Enrichment System.

The innovative device simply plugs into the cigarette lighter on the dashboard and instantly indicates the current status of the HydroCell™ and its present operating condition. The driver will instantly be aware if the HydroCell™ is in need of water and can rectify the condition which will minimize downtime. 

The HydroCell™ requires the addition of water every 40 – 50 hours of operation and will shut down and not generate Hydrogen if allowed to run dry. This device will ensure maximum fuel savings by eliminating downtime due to lack of water.  HydroCell™ has exceeded expectations and is typically doubling hydrogen output and increasing fuel efficiencies for transportation companies and independent drivers alike.

Hydrogen, as a fuel, is emission free and the only by-product of combustion is water.  It is the most abundant element in the universe and is the fuel of choice for the Space Shuttle’s main engine. 

To assure continued fuel savings, the HydroCell™ is always tested for performance, efficiency, reliability and hydrogen output on numerous vehicles, to enhance its core design and help refine the product specifications for engineers.  In addition to recent discoveries, GreenCell Technologies GT5 is also conducting extensive lab tests to establish the most efficient electrolyte mixture and the optimal Anode to Cathode distance for maximum hydrogen production.  These tests will lead to new modifications to increase hydrogen output, boost fuel efficiency overall and reduce manufacturing costs. 

The HydroCell™ is an electrolysis-based on-demand Hydrogen generator designed specifically for the transport industry. The product draws a small amount of power from the vehicles electrical system and uses it to produce Hydrogen gas from a water-based solution. The HydroCell™ directs the produced Hydrogen gas to the intake of the vehicles engine where it acts as a catalyst during the normal combustion cycle. This creates more power and fewer emissions, burning only the existing fuel in the cylinder, resulting simply in less fuel being required to operate the vehicle.

GT5 GreenCell Technologies Inc. is a Canadian company, dedicated to designing and bringing to market technology-based products for the transportation and energy industries.

For further information, contact the GreenCell Technologies Inc. head office in Canada, through email, which can be sent to: Investors@greencelltek.com