When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Green roofs lush with vegetation provide aesthetic and environmental benefits, but they are not sustainable enough, according to a life-cycle analysis by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada (UBC). Gordon Hoekstra reports for The Vancouver Sun:
The researchers’ life-cycle analysis showed it would take as much as 25 years to compensate for the environmental damage caused from making the plastic in the matting[, which provides drainage for the plants].Life-cycle analysis is an examination of the environmental effects of a product from cradle-to-grave. The analysis includes the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing and disposal or recycling of materials at the end of the product’s life.The researchers’ assessment also compared the toxic emissions from the industrial production of the plastic to the air pollution removed by the plants during the lifespan of a green roof.
Among the benefits, green roofs absorb greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and have been proven to lower heating and cooling costs for the buildings. The roofs have been popular in Europe for several decades, and have been used in North America more recently. Downtown Vancouver has green roofs in the public library and convention center. Chicago has numerous green roofs, including a large one built atop its city hall about 10 years ago.
The UBC researchers, engineering professor Kasun Hewage and his master’s student Fabricio Bianchini, are now trying to improve the environmental footprint of green roofs. They are currently testing alternative materials for drainage on eight green roofs at UBC’s Okanagan campus and comparing the results with standard green roofs constructed with the plastic mat. In place of the plastic mats, they are testing individual construction wastes such as crushed brick, concrete, and rigid foam insulation as well as combinations of the materials.
The researchers are taking numerous measurements including temperature and water quality. The temperature of the roof relates to how much energy is needed to heat or cool the building. “Water quality is a particularly important measurement because if any chemicals are added to the run-off from the waste construction material that will have a damaging environmental effect, offsetting the benefit of using the waste construction material,” Hoekstra writes.
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