How can building materials help reduce the impact of climate change? This is what a recent study published in Cell Reports Physical Science hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how biodegradable materials for building construction could enable buildings to operate without electricity. This study has the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, legislators, and the public better understand the benefits of using biodegradable materials and how they can fight the increasing threat of climate change.
For the study, the researchers developed a novel bioplastic metafilm for buildings designed for greater longevity than traditional petrochemical materials, whose longevity is often reduced by solar radiation and increased temperatures. The researchers used a combination of simulations and field tests to ascertain the metafilm’s ability to reduce heat, reflect sunlight, and reduce a building’s energy consumption.
In the end, the researchers found that field tests successfully demonstrated the metafilm’s ability to reduce temperatures up to 4.9 degrees Celsius 40.82 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 5.1 degrees Celsius (41.18 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. Additionally, the metafilm successfully reflected 98.7 percent of sunlight while withstanding 120 hours of strong acid, or equivalent to eight months of solar radiation exposure. The simulations also revealed that the metafilm could reduce a building’s energy consumption by as much as 20.3 percent.
“Our metafilm offers an environmentally friendly alternative to air-conditioning, which contributes significantly to carbon emissions,” said Yangzhe Hou, who is a PhD Candidate at the University of South Australia but also from Zhengzhou University and is lead author of the study. “The material reflects nearly all solar radiation but also allows internal building heat to escape directly into outer space. This enables the building to stay cooler than the surrounding air, even under direct sunlight.”
How will bioplastic metafilm help fight climate change in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Cell Reports Physical Science, EurekAlert!
Artist’s illustration of the metafilm. (Credit: University of South Australia)
