+salt. - Undergraduate Thesis

1 background & history page 6

2 materials exploration page 20

3 architectural synthesis page 28

rising sea levels

climate change

desalination plants

air pollution

mass production

salt

mass halotherapy

clean emissions

As a society we have become reliant on mass production and manufacturing. The emissions from this industry, which include carbon oxides, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and other harmful gases, linger in the atmosphere. These chemicals are not only destroying our air and environmental quality, but they are also threatening our fresh water sources. As air pollution worsens, climate change is triggered, causing sea levels to rise.

Because the rising sea levels will cause an unbalancing of the water aquifers, desalination plants will become paramount for freshwater consumption. Today, current desalination plants across the world produce 100 billion liters of water and 100 billion liters of brine each day. This brine must be significantly diluted in order to protect marine ecosystems and this process is extremely expensive to do well, so current desalination plants are destroying marine life.

The inevitability of a future excess of salt, in addition to the health benefits of this mineral warrant the exploration of salt as a means of rehabilitating the damage created by air pollution, at both a commercial scale and a personal scale.

1. background & history.

human history of salt.

6000

The first evidence of salt harvesting occurred in the

1800 B.C.

China began producing sea salt by boiling seawater in clay vessels.

800

The Phoenicians began producing salt

550

500 B.C.

Preserving soybeans in salt; later becoming soy sauce.

400 B.C.

Salt mines established in Salzburg.

450 B.C.

In China, Yi Dun began boiling brine to distill water

252 B.C.

Li Bing ordered the first brine wells ever to be drilled in China.

B.C.

Yuncheng Lake in China.

2800 B.C. Egyptians began trading salt, in the form of salted fish.

B.C.

2000 B.C. Evidence of salting fish to preserve it from the Xia Dynast y.

B.C. Via Salaria established as a main trading route in Rome.

origins of salt therapy.

1839

Dr. Felix Boczkowski founded and opened the first health resort facility in the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Krakow, Poland (pictured).

1949

Dr. K.H. Spannahel created the Klyutert cave as an inpatient facilty to study underground environments and their affects on human health.

1958

Professor Mieczyslaw Skulimowski became the first official doctor of the Wieliczka Salt Mine and started treating regular patients, thus beginning Subterraneotherapy.

1964

Kinga Health Resort established in the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

1980

Odessa Science Research Institute in Ukraine develops the first Halotherapy device.

1991

After the fall of The Soviet Union, halotherapy knowledge and research became accessible to the rest of the world.

halogenerator

Dispenser

MOTOR

Halogenerator Body

MOTOR

Salt Tank

Salt Aerosol mixed with Air

MOTOR

Dispenser Tube

Salt Grinder

health benefits of salt.

The health benefits of salt have been known and explored for centuries. Salt has the unique ability to detoxify, heal, cleanse, exfoliate and even hold in moisture, all in one. This mineral absorbs dirt, grime, toxins, and deeply cleanses pores. Salts are easily absorbed through the cell wall of our skin and stimulate antiinflammatory reactions and replenish lost minerals which are lost during daily routine.

Salt helps protect mucus membranes, as the first line of defense against virus and bacteria. High concentrations of salt make the mucus less penetrable and high concentrations of salt kill some types of bacteria through dehydration. The antibacterial function of salt works through osmosis; when bacterial cells become dehydrated, they lose structure and die.

Research has found halotherapy to assist in the treatment of: Lung infection, Throat infection or pharyngitis, Smoking-related breathing problems, Respiratory allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Cold or cough, Pneumonia, Sinusitis, Rhinitis, Tonsillitis, Cystic fibrosis, and breathing problems caused by Covid-19. In addition, halotherapy can help repair skin cells and protect skin from aging and infection.

Our bodies contain the same concentrations of minerals and nutrients as the salty sea water. Magnesium, potassium and calcium are additional minerals found in sea salt. They help combat bacteria and skin infections, while also speeding up the healing process.

INHALATION

assists respirator y system

Diminishes Inflammation

Reduces effects of chronic conditions

Asthma

COPD

Relieves smoking related symptoms

Mucoactive: clears mucus from airways

Immunity Boosting

Anti-allergic

ENVIRONMENTAL PRESENCE

benefits mental health

Relieves anxiety and depression

Absorbs negative ions f rom the surrounding environment - triggering the release of serotonin

Reduces Stress

Increases Energy

Enhances Sleep Cycle

TOPICAL ABSORPTION

assists skin conditions

Antibacterial

Anti-fungal

Assists in the treatments of:

Acne and Rosacea

Dermititis

Eczema

Psoriasis

Rashes

Skin Allergies

rising sea levels.

As air pollution worsens, climate change is triggered, causing sea levels to rise. Within the last three decades, the rate at which the sea level is rising has raised to 0.14 inches, from a previous rate of 0.06 inches. This may not sound like a lot, however, at this rate, by the year 2100 it is predicted that the sea levels will have risen a minimum of 3 feet. This would mean that at least 10 major cities, including New York City and Boston will be underwater by 2100. If sea levels rise enough to drown cities, they will be high enough to destroy our fresh water sources.

For the city of Los Angeles alone, it requires fresh water from three different ground water basins. Due to pollution and overextraction, these water basins are being destroyed, along with similar ones all over the world. The storage for this capacity of fresh water would cost $3 billion. This is only 16% of the total water needed for the population of Los Angeles.

0.14 inches per year

5-9 inches by 2050 min. 3 feet by 2100

U.S. Cities expected to be underwater by 2100 under current conditions

desalination process.

Step 2: Screening

Step 3: Filtration

Step 4: Reverse Osmosis separates water and salt

Step 5: Water and salt each treated to consumption standards

Step 6

Distribution

Step 1:

Sea Water Intake

+salt. smoke stack filtration.

the liquid is heated to gas and re-filtered through a purified salt water solution

the remaining gas

gas passes through a wet scrubber tnat removes large particulates

flows through a neutralizerto remove any remaining gases

the liquid is heated to gas and re-filtered through a purified salt water solution

emissions are first filtered through a fresh water

SYSTEM ELECTROSTATIC SMOKE PRECIPITATORS

salt is distributed utilizing the cleaned emissions, which power a commercial scale halogenerator salt

salt is a thermodynamic gas hydrate inhibitor, which creates a lower temp & higher pressure, resulting in hydrate accretion

the water molecules inhibit gaseuos bonds via the formation of H-bonds

current desalintaion output.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

damage to marine ecosystems

100 billion liters

DESALINATION PLANT

BRINE

ECONOMIC IMPACT

expensive dilution and pumping process

proposed output system.

production utilizes salt water safe equipment

brine is extracted from the salt water

DESALINATION PLANT

salt solution for filtration of emissions

salt is then utilized for production

mass - scale halogenerators

salt water sourced from the ocean

FRESH WATER

provided in areas of shortage

smoke stack filtration

2. materials exploration.

In order to understand the properties which are unqiue to the material, a series of experiments were performed. Salt struggles in creating spatial qualities of its own, but when used in conjunction with other materials, a world of possibilities manifests. The first experiments began by spraying a salt water solution on various materials. From there, materials were then submerged in a similar solution. From preliminay research it is known that salty filament for 3-D printing is being explored and tested. Various forms of compression structures have also begun to emerge in experimental research, so this warrated the testing of small scale blocks and arches. And because salt is a mineral, the uniqure properties of the material afford the opportunity for mineral accretion through electrification.

Sprayed Solution:

12 ounces water

3 Tablespoons Salt

Method: Spray once / day

Lay flat in a dry place

Spray until saturated

Most Successful: Table Salt

Submerged

Solution:

4 ounces water

1 Tablespoon Salt

Method:

Soak in solution on flat surface

Store in a cool, dry place

Most Successful: Table Salt

Molded

Method:

Mix Starch and Salt until blended

Stir in Sake, until smooth

Pour into mold

Allow to dry completely

Mixture:

8 parts salt

2 parts starch

2 parts sake

Most Successful:

Himalayan Pink Salt

experimentation.

“3-D Printed”

Mixture:

8 parts salt

2 parts starch

2 parts sake

Method: Measure all ingredients by weight

Mix Salt and Starch until blended

Add Sake and stir until smooth

Pour into syringe

Use syringe to “3-D Print”

Let dry until solid

Most Successful:

Table Salt

Electrified Solution:

4 Cups water

8 Tablespoons Salt

4 Tablespoons Epsom Salt

Method:

Strip wires

Affix positive and negative ends of wire to metal material

Submerge metal in either end of nonconductive container

Plug wiring into portable charger

Allow to run until charger dies

Let air dry

Most Successful:

Himalayan Pink Salt

3. architectural synthesis

The buildings’ form is inspired by salt crystallization formation. The ground level serves as a multi-sensory learning center, which was inspired by the multi-sensory nature of salt health benefits. The desalination plant is located above the learning center, with various reveals between programs. The desalination plant serving as a ‘bridge’ between production, education and research is a tribute to the chemical bonding that happens in the creation of salt. A large exterior space is dedicated to pavilions and forms utilizing salty materials, functioning as a landing place for collaboration and exploration of salty structures.

The building is nestled in the center of two intesecting pedestrian bridges, with three moments where small dam structures create hydrelectric power, in order to help power the entire complex. The pedestrian bridges connect two parks which are located across the river from each other, promoting an overall health based lifstyle.

Ideally, these complexes would appear all over, but for the sake of this thesis, the complex is located on the Los Angeles River in California. This river is located just north of San Pedro Bay, which is a unique port that’s split between Los Angeles and Long Beach and is actually the largest port utilized on the west coast of the U.S. This site was chosen due to the milder climate, in conjunction with the poor air quality and high amounts of production in this area.

site conditions.

Los Angeles provides an ideal site for the Just +Salt complex. With a milder climate, water levels are less variable. The location’s poor air and enviornmental quality will not only be benefitted by, but necessitates the goal of rehabilitating damge caused by air pollution. The poor water quality proves the necessity for both desalination and rehabilitation.

los angeles river history.

1850s

Los Angeles’s first settlers relied on the Los Angeles River as their main fresh water source.

1889 San Pedro Bay was chosen as the city’s harbor, requiring an extensive railway system to and from the ports.

1913

The Los Angeles Aqueduct opened, meaning the Los Angeles River was no longer required as a fresh water source.

1938

The most disatrous of a history of floods devastated much of the city, triggering change.

1938

A concrete channel was installed as the basis for the river in order to mitigate flooding issues.

2007

The Los Angeles Aqueduct opened, meaning the Los Angeles River was no longer required as a fresh water source.

site plan.

LosAngelesRiver

Pacific Ocean

Harry Bridges Memorial Park

Shoreline Aquatic Park