Foams for living architecture

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sheffield
Department Name: Chemistry

Abstract

The principal investigator will be Professor AJ Ryan who is currently the Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science and was until recently the ICI Professor of Physical Chemistry and Director of the Sheffield Polymer Centre. He has published over 250 papers in refereed journals, 1 co-authored book, 2 edited books, 6 book chapters, 6 review articles, 60 conference proceedings and 10 patents. His international standing is recognised by more than 20 invited talks at international conferences and 34 papers that have received more than 50 citations each. He was awarded prizes in 1990 by the Plastics and Rubber Institute, 1999 from the Polymer Processing Society, in 1992, 1999 and 2003 from the Royal Society of Chemistry and in 2008 from the Society of Dyers & Colourists and The Royal Medical Society. In 2006 he was awarded an OBE for services to science . He runs a substantial research group and has been PI on 16 and Co-I on 19 EPSRC grants as well as holding grants from BBSRC, NESTA and the EU. His current EPSRC portfolio includes PI on a Feasibility Account, PI on a Nanotechnology Grant Challenge for Energy, Co-I on a Nanotechnology Grant Challenge for Health and Co-I on two Platform grants. He has received substantial funding from a wide range of industry and currently has 4 PhD students from Akzo-Nobel and Dow Chemicals.The individual group members each possess a long track record of innovative research and commercial development that has yielded outcomes with a high impact value. Although each group member currently enjoys individual success, they all firmly believe that the major challenges that society currently faces can only be addressed through a process of inter-disciplinary working. Herein we describe a multi-disciplinary project that seeks to develop a novel technology that would form the basis of a lightweight, modular green roof or wall. This three layer system will contain a waterproof base that will provide support whilst also preventing root penetration into the underlying building. A lightweight, porous polyurethane polymer will sit atop the base. This will provide a network of channels that will support root growth whilst also retaining the nutrients that are required for plant growth. The final layer will take the form of a vegetative mat that will be seeded with plant species that will be carefully selected to ensure optimal growth either in the wall or roof scenario. The whole system will take the form of a module that could be easily transported and combined with other modules to cover large areas. The weight saving of the polymer foam over traditional substrates will also allow retrofitting of this technology to buildings that cannot support current heavier green roof systems. The proposed system would represent a significant advancement in the area of Green Roof/Wall technology.The project will see contributions from a group of senior academics that are drawn from the Faculties of Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield (as the lead institution) who will work alongside colleagues from Farapack Polymers Limited, Europolymers (GB) Limited and Lindum Seeded Turf Limited. This group has formed during the previous 3 years following a series of highly successful collaborations. The combination of partners means the group possesses both the technical knowledge to perform the fundamental research whilst also being ideally placed to produce a technology that is commercially viable.

Planned Impact

In the UK, buildings are responsible for 44% of CO2 emissions. A high proportion of these emissions are from heating and cooling the internal environment. Reducing the energy consumption of the UK's buildings will reduce their contribution to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have stated that buildings provide some of the greatest, most cost effective and fastest opportunities to tackle climate change. Green roofs can significantly reduce the cooling load of a building, resulting in reduced air cooling requirements and therefore reduced energy consumption and associated output of atmospheric carbon dioxide. An estimated 24,000 UK citizens die every year from air pollution. Moreover, air quality is substantially worse in densely populated urban areas. Green roofs can improve local air quality through mitigating the urban heat island effect, thereby reducing the production of ozone. Having a living roof can also help to remove airborne particles, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds from the local atmosphere. These contaminants are retained by the green roof itself and so their infiltration into the water system through surface runoff is reduced, improving local water quality As urbanisation increases, ensuring that biodiversity is retained is a key requirement for local councils and public bodies under the Biodiversity Duty which is a requirement of The Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act. It requires all public bodies to have regard to biodiversity conservation when carrying out their functions. This is commonly referred to as the 'biodiversity duty'. (Natural England) Whilst green roofs do not directly replace ground-based habitats and are not part of a ground level 'green corridor', they can be thought of as green 'stepping stones' for wildlife, and, if well planned, can cater for a variety of flora and fauna unattainable on traditional roofs. Green roof installation in Germany saw activity worth 245m last year, accounting for around half of European green roof sales. A simple comparison of overall construction activity between the UK and Germany implies a potential market in the UK worth 150m. In the US, the market has grown by more than 30% in each of the last two years (www.greenroofs.org), demonstrating how rapidly such potential can be achieved. However, it is important to note that the widespread introduction of current technologies is hindered by their weight. This challenge would be addressed by the successful development of the proposed technology, thereby creating additional market opportunities. The introduction of the proposed technology would therefore strengthen the economic performance of the manufacturing sector within the United Kingdom and provide a competitive advantage in the emerging Green Roof/Wall market. The group members, both individually and in the form of various partnerships, have a wealth of experience in the engagement of major stakeholder groups. These experiences vary from a diverse portfolio of Public Engagement activities through to the development of novel technologies that have subsequently reached the market place. Several of these technologies are currently undergoing the process of commercialisation under the guidance of our colleagues at Fusion IP. It is the intention of the group that the technology proposed within this project would follow a similar trajectory. The importance of end-user engagement in the development of commercially viable technologies is acknowledged in the composition of the group itself. We believe the combination of academic and commercial partners will dramatically reduce the time required to convert the fundamental research into a commercially viable product. The success of this project would highlight the benefits of engaging in knowledge transfer activities to colleagues in both sectors.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Hydrophilic polyurethane foam formulations were designed and prepared with the aim of delivering the following functionalities as a green-roof growing media: -Provision of good root anchorage and support -Lighter weight than conventional green-roof substrates both dry and when saturated with water -Ability to absorb and retain moisture, and to reabsorb once completely dry -Good level of aeration even when saturated with water -Ability to retain and exchange nutrients from and with the environment -Ability to provide plant specific nutrient exchange (leachable by organic acids such as oxalic acid) Formulation work at FaraPack Polymers lead to a foam that was found to achieve all of the criteria outlined above with good levels of success. Work carried out in the Dept. of Animal and Plant Sciences at the UoS showed that the foams had good moisture and nutrient retention (using adapted soil analysis techniques) and so could be used to germinate and sustain plant life. This was demonstrated by the germination of grass (Agrostis capillaris, Festuca ovina and Lolium perenne) on the foams and by the production of small demonstrators. These demonstrators were produced by mixed species pre-vegetated mats, grown and supplied by Lindum Turf, being placed on top of the foams before the foaming process was complete, resulting in adhesion. The demonstrators showed good survival rates over a 1 year period in a controlled indoor environment. Experiments carried out at the Green Roof Centre at the UoS showed the foams to be 20% the weight of conventional mineral green roof substrate even when fully saturated with water. The substrate would contain no weeds, diseases or pests on supply and provides opportunity for good root penetration and anchorage. Water capacity and permeability and substrate aeration was measured and compared against The German Landscape Research, Development and Construction Society (FLL) guidelines and shown to conform. Three larger scale demonstrators (65cm x 35cm x 15cm ; volume = 34L) were designed and fabricated (at Europolymers (GB) Ltd.) using the optimised foam formulation. These demonstrators are currently in situ at the Arthur Willis Centre at the University of Sheffield and are being monitored for plant health and longevity over a 12 month period. The experiments carried out during the project have been sufficiently successful that the group are seeking to patent protect the foam formulation and are currently exploring funding from the Technology Strategy Board and CO2 Sense in order further develop prototypes of a modular green roof system. It is anticipated that this modular, lightweight system can be used in conventional green roof applications and those (such as retrofit) that are unsuitable for conventional green roofs as a result of its lighter weight. Discussions are also underway between the partners for the formation of a joint venture in order to exploit the IP resulting from this and future projects.
Exploitation Route Due to the nature of the funding call, four of the main objectives of the project were to have potential use in non-academic contexts namely: 1. The creation of a lightweight, modular Green Roof system. 2. The development of novel polyurethane foam systems capable of sustaining plant life for a prolonged period of time. 3. Identification of optimal plant species for use in a Green Roof scenario. 4. Identification of commercial opportunities for the proposed technology. We believe that we have achieved these objectives. The materials and module demonstrators/prototypes produced during the project will be used as proof of technical concept on which to build future funding applications that can bring modular lightweight green roof systems to market. Green roofs have numerous social, economic and environmental benefits and can contribute positively to issues surrounding climate change, flooding, biodiversity and declining green space in urban areas. In the UK, buildings are responsible for 44% of CO2 emissions. A high proportion of these emissions are from heating and cooling the internal environment. Reducing the energy consumption of the UK's buildings will reduce their contribution to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have stated that buildings provide some of the greatest, most cost effective and fastest opportunities to tackle climate change. Green roofs can significantly reduce the cooling load of a building, resulting in reduced air cooling requirements and therefore reduced energy consumption and associated output of atmospheric carbon dioxide. An estimated 24,000 UK citizens die every year from air pollution. Moreover, air quality is substantially worse in densely populated urban areas. The urban heat island effect exacerbates ground-level ozone production, which is formed by a reaction between volatile organic compounds and nitrous oxides catalysed by heat and sunlight. Green roofs can improve local air quality through mitigating the urban heat island effect. Having a living roof can also help to remove airborne particles, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds from the local atmosphere. These contaminants are retained by the green roof itself and so their infiltration into the water system through surface runoff is reduced, improving local water quality As urbanisation increases, ensuring that biodiversity is retained is a key requirement for local councils and public bodies under the Biodiversity Duty which is a requirement of The Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act. It requires all public bodies to have regard to biodiversity conservation when carrying out their functions. This is commonly referred to as the 'biodiversity duty'. (Natural England) Whilst green roofs do not directly replace ground-based habitats and are not part of a ground level 'green corridor', they can be thought of as green 'stepping stones' for wildlife, and, if well planned, can cater for a variety of flora and fauna unattainable on traditional roofs. Green roof installation in Germany saw activity worth £245m last year, accounting for around half of European green roof sales. A simple comparison of overall construction activity between the UK and Germany implies a potential market in the UK worth £150m. In the US, the market has grown by more than 30% in each of the last two years (www.greenroofs.org), demonstrating how rapidly such potential can be achieved. However, it is important to note that the widespread introduction of current technologies is hindered by their weight. This challenge would be addressed by the further development of the technology resulting from this project, thereby creating additional market opportunities. It is anticipated that the adoption of our technology will strengthen the economic performance of the manufacturing sector within the United Kingdom and provide a competitive advantage in the emerging Green Roof/Wall market. It is also possible that the hydrophilic polymer foams produced by the project present new opportunities for the replacement of peat in horticultural and agricultural applications. Preliminary results suggest that polyurethane foams may have value as simple replacements for current peat and peat-free growing media (known as propagation plugs). Propagation plugs are used for the initial germination and growth of both agricultural and horticultural plants. After this initial stage, the plant and plug is transplanted into either soil or a hydroponic growing system.
Sectors Chemicals

Creative Economy

Energy

Environment

 
Description The research and collaboration yielded an on-going relationship with the horticulture industry in the UK and Europe.
First Year Of Impact 2012
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink
Impact Types Economic

 
Description British Council Grant - Institutional Links Gulf (150143)
Amount £374,932 (GBP)
Funding ID 279345617 
Organisation British Council 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2017 
End 03/2019
 
Description PhD STudentship from the Grantham Centre
Amount £6,800,000 (GBP)
Organisation Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment 
Sector Private
Country United States
Start 08/2016 
End 08/2020
 
Description Foams for living architecture 
Organisation Euro Polymers Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Three demonstrators (65cm x 35cm x 15cm ; volume = 34L) were designed and fabricated (at Europolymers (GB) Ltd.) using the foam formulation developed in the project. These demonstrators are currently in situ at the Arthur Willis Centre at the University of Sheffield and were monitored for plant health and longevity over a 12 month period.
Collaborator Contribution The did the fabrications
Impact 1. The creation of a lightweight, modular Green Roof system. 2. The development of novel polyurethane foam systems capable of sustaining plant life for a prolonged period of time. 3. Identification of optimal plant species for use in a Green Roof scenario. 4. Identification of commercial opportunities for the proposed technology. The materials and module demonstrators/prototypes produced during the project were used as proof of technical concept on which to build future funding applications that can bring modular lightweight green roof systems to market. Green roofs have numerous social, economic and environmental benefits and can contribute positively to issues surrounding climate change, flooding, biodiversity and declining green space in urban areas.
Start Year 2010
 
Title Green Roof Module Demonstrator 
Description Three demonstrators (65cm x 35cm x 15cm ; volume = 34L) were designed and fabricated (at Europolymers (GB) Ltd.) using the foam formulation developed in the project. These demonstrators are currently in situ at the Arthur Willis Centre at the University of Sheffield and are being monitored for plant health and longevity over a 12 month period. 
Type Of Technology Physical Model/Kit 
 
Title Hydrophilic polyurethane foam formulations 
Description Hydrophilic polyurethane foam formulations were designed and prepared have been shown to deliver the following functionalities as a green-roof growing media: -Provision of good root anchorage and support -Lighter weight than conventional green-roof substrates both dry and when saturated with water -Ability to absorb and retain moisture, and to reabsorb once completely dry -Good level of aeration even when saturated with water -Ability to retain and exchange nutrients from and with the environment -Ability to provide plant specific nutrient exchange 
Type Of Technology New Material/Compound