Bio-Inspired Design - May Contain Peanuts

Bio-Inspired Design

Bio-Polymer |

The purpose of conducting these experiments is to try to find an alternative to the bonding agent/ resin, formaldehyde, commonly used in building materials. The reason for finding an alternative is that Formaldehyde is can cause adverse health effects such as irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat and high levels of exposure can cause some types of cancers.

By using a Bio-Polymer made from natural ingredients to create bonding materials it is safer, better for the environment and more sustainable.

Analysing the results, I can conclude that the flexibility could be controlled by the proportion of glycerine added to the mix, the strength could be controlled by the quantity of starch added and the stickiness was increased by reducing cooking time. Cooking for a longer period of time on a low heat made the outcome white in colour and less sticky, however cooking rapidly on a high heat made the outcome clear, highly viscous and sticky.

Experiment 1

The next step to my research was to introduce the shell material into the bio-polymer mix. I

Bio-Polymer |

Experiment 2

blended up four different grades of shell to see how it my affect the results. I used two methods for forming the outcome.

Grading

After conducting various experiments I discovered that the procedure that produced the best result (shown above) was using medium grade shell and equal amount of glycerine and vinegar with a higher starch content, cooked a low/medium heat, which produced a much firmer result, it consisted of;

Starch (30mg)

Vinegar (20ml)

Water (40ml)

Glycerine (20ml)

One limitation to these experiments is, the lack of ability to apply a great amount pressure to the shell fragments to create dense material and squeeze out air pockets. This is how other composite wood is produced. It also several 1 - The first method was using two hot baking trays from the oven spreading the bio-polymer mix onto it and clamping the trays together. This method created a thin sheet of material.

days for the bio-polymer to dry out and see

2 - The second method was pouring the mix into a ready made plastic covered with foil. The purpose of this method was to create a block of material.

I also think adding more water would make the

the true result of the experiment. To develop this material future I plan to introduction other fibres to improve the strength of the composite, composite more pliable for longer (60/80ml).

Peanut Analysis

Waterproofing Test Water Test

Soaked 30 days

To test the composite material in water I soaked a 20mm piece for 30 days in a cup of water. The results were surprising. The water was left discoloured and had adsorbed into the material. The composite still worked well in compression but could be pulled apart with more ease.

Leaving the material to dry it amazingly returned to a solid state and could withstand a lot of compressive force and some tension. This experiment has shown me how resilient and adaptable the material is.

Mali has a rainy season of two months and from what I have discovered this composite is very water resistant and might able to cope with these conditions.

Polylatic Acid (PLA) To made the composite material waterproof I can add Polylactic Acid (PLA) - which is a biodegradable and bioactive thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch, cassava roots, chips or starch, or

Dried 3 days

sugar cane.

Peanut Research

Peanut Research

Biomimetic Study

Sclerenchyma Removing the Pericarp and Exocarp layers along with the vascular bundles, revealed the

I discovered that I can recycled my own material

longitudinal ribs with the voronoi structure in-

by blending the composite down and reintroducing

between. These structures protrusions from the

the bio-polymer to be moulded into something else.

Sclerenchyma banding which forms the rigid

This composite consisted of waste product and now

fibrous plate around the seeds. It is this structure

can be recycled, this makes the material highly

formed by the Sclerenchyma that gives the

sustainable, economic and environmentally friendly.

shell its strength. Using this knowledge it will help

The recycled peanut shell composite has been

inform my design’s structure and the way may

formed into a ribbed membrane to increase

composite material system will be moulded.

structural strength and can be used to direct water run-off.

Mesocarp The Mesocarp layer is what can be seen in-

Sclerenchyma Banding

between the voronoi structure. It is a softer, cork-

(Initial Longitudinal Ribs)

like structure and does not provide any significant rigidity, but is used for gas/water exchange

Mesocarp Layer

and regulation. Using this notion I will use my

(Water and Gas Regulation)

composite material to create a structure that can help regulate the rainwater that falls on the

Sclerenchyma Banding

pavilion and optimise the run off keeping it as dry

(Secondary Lateral Voronoi Ribs)

as possible.

Biomimetic Research

Philippe Block Research Group - Ribbed Panels Integrated structural support system

Biomimetic Study

Biological Rejuvenation Seawater Greenhouses

Sahara Forest Project

“In 2050 about 9.3 billion people will share our

There are examples of greenhouse projects located in barren deserts where biological

Using this theory of creating an irrigated,

planet. Already today the world is facing intertwined

rejuvenation in hot arid climates has been achieved. The seawater greenhouse project

hydrated and cooler micro-climate in the centre

challenges of food, water and energy security,

uses a method of harvesting the prevailing winds off the coast and condensing it to

of my building clusters, plant growth can disperse

coupled with climate change, desertification and

produce water for irrigation. Rehydrating the landscape using water vapour creates humid

beyond the boundaries and begin to promote

shrinking forests.� (seawatergreenhouse.com, 2018)

micro-climate that promotes plant growth both inside and outside the greenhouse.

biological rejuvenate in the surrounding areas.

Rainwater Harvesting, Storage, Irrigation and Filtration Rainwater Planting and Topsoil Crushed Stone Perforated Pipe

Using a solar powered system you can pump water from the water table, filter and store the it for drinking and irrigation purposes. Rainwater can be redirected from the roofs into natural filtration channels that connect to the water storage tank for re-purposing.

Biological Rejuvenation

Cooling Strategy Courtyard and transpiration cooling strategy Planting around the pods can cool the internal spaces because when water vapour is transpired from leaves into the atmosphere, the plant and surrounding air is cooled down. Heat rises and escapes from the roof apertures which draws cooler air into the spaces creating convection currents.

The central green space creates shade from the trees and the air temperature can be 5°C cooler than in the sun, transpiration cooling will lower the air temperature even further.

The cooling strategy of this design follows similar principles as the Egyptian Courtyard, however, it also takes advantage of cooling through transpiration and thermal massing.

A higher soil moisture content has a cooling effect on the surrounding environment. One way to increase the ability of soils to hold moisture is to increase soil organic matter. Encouraging plant growth by irrigation, soil organic matter will be increased and the ability of soils to store water will increase and the surrounding temperature will be cooler.

The arrangement of the Ancient Egyptian Courtyard House provides drops in air temperature of 10-20°C at night.

1) As evening advances, the warm air of the courtyard, which was heated directly by the sun and indirectly by the warm buildings, rises and is gradually replaced by the already cooled night air from above. This cool air accumulates in the courtyard in laminar layers and seeps into the surrounding rooms, cooling them.

2) In the morning, the air of the courtyard, which is shaded by its four walls, and the surrounding rooms heat slowly and remain cool until late in the day when the sun shines directly into the courtyard.

Cooler air generated through shading and transpiration seeps into the buildings during the day through convection, cooling them. As the night draws in the warmer air in the courtyard is replaced by cooler night air and collects in the shaded court yard. As the sun rises the cool air which is shaded will heat slowly and remain cooler for longer into the day.

In this way, the courtyard serves as a reservoir of coolness.

[Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture: Principles and Examples with Reference to Hot Arid Climates]

Transpiration Thermal Massing Convection

Egyptian courtyard house from around 3,000BC

By calculating how far one bag of peanuts goes, I can begin to

RUTF & Pinder Calculations

work out how much many plants would be required to construct my buildings. I can then also work out how many peanuts this would produce to be made into RUTF and thus work out how

One Classroom Pod

many children each on of my buildings could save.

= 92 grams

1)

Pods

Pods

1 RUFT Sachet

= 155 pods

= 2170 pods

= 27% peanuts

1)

70 sqm - Drainage Channels

= 0.400 kgs

= 5.6 kgs

= 24.84 grams

2)

100 sqm - Panels

= 0.02484 kgs

3)

64 sqm - Lateral Pipes

4)

220 sqm - Longitudinal Pipes

External

2)

0.4 kg bag of peanuts could make: Shells

Shells

= 0.123 kgs

= 1.72 kgs

- 11.15 Sachets

= 454 sqm

1 sqm of pinder would be 14 bags of peanuts

Internal and Veranda

which would make:

5)

58 sqm

- Internal Seating

- 156 Sachets

6)

20 sqm

- Veranda Shading

7)

15 sqm

- Two Veranda Seats

Peanuts

Peanuts

= 310 nuts

= 4340 nuts

Which is enough to provide:

= 0.277 kgs

= 3.88 kgs

- 2 children 2 sachets per day for over 5 weeks

= 93 sqm Total = 550 sqm (approx)

30.2cm 15.1cm

Pinder

Pinder

d = 30.2 cm

d = 112.84cm

r = 15.1 cm

r = 56.42cm

a = 714 cm

a = 10,000cm

Plants

Plants

25/50 peanut pods per plant

25/50 peanut pods per plant

= 3-6 plants

= 43-87 plants

0.123 kgs of shells mixed with

1.72 kgs of shells mixed with

the bio-polymer makes:

the bio-polymer makes:

1 hectarce = 2.47 acres Dry land - per growing season;

Irrigated land - per growing season;

150,000 - Peanut plants per hectare

300,000 - Peanut plants per hectare

1,724 sqm & 3,488 sqm of Pinder

3,448 sqm & 6,976 sqm of Pinder produce

One classroom pod of this size takes 550 sqm of Pinder including the veranda shading and 2 seats.

Malnutrition Therapy Course; 1 Child 6 - 8 weeks

100cm x 100cm

= 1 sqm

42 - 56 days

2/3 sachets - per day 84 min / 168 max sachet - tota1

26.72cm x 26.72cm

=0.0714 sqm

714 / 10,000

= 14 bags of 0.4kgs

One Pod > 550 sqm = 85,525 / 85,855 Sachets = 509 / 1022 Children Treated

3)

4)

Land

Peanut Plants

Peanuts

RUTF

RUTF & Pinder Calculations

=

Children

1 Hectare

= 3.1 / 6.3 (550 sqm pod)

3 / 6 Pods = 25,000 / 50,000

2,387,000

85,500

1 Acre

= 1.3 / 2.6 (550 sqm pod)

1 / 2 Pods = 10,120 / 20,240

per 550 sqm pod

Sachets

/ 0.89 * 24.84 Glycerine Produced from vegetable/plant oil Vegetable glycerine is produced using an extraction process called hydrolysis.

During hydrolysis, oils are placed under the combined force of pressure, temperature, and water.

Post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are very critical in developing countries however excess or spoilt crop can be processed into vinegar or glycerine.

510 / 1020

Shells

Malnourished Children Treated Per 550 sqm Pod

The requirements per 550sqm pod are;

Vinegar Vinegar can be made from almost anything which contains sugar or starch. It is made from many different things; fruits, grains, roots even wood.

Land

- 770 litres of vinegar

- 770 litres of glycerine

- 3,850 litres of water

Cassava Plants

968 kg

+ Bio-Polymer

1 Hectare

= 3.9 / 7.8 (550 sqm pod)

1 Acre

= 1.6 / 3.2 (550 sqm pod)

Starch Flour Starch can be produced from any starch

10,000 Yuca planted per hectare 1.5 - 3 kg of root per plant - 30% is starch = 450g / 900g of starch per plant 1,155kg per 550sqm pod

based plant. Cassava Plant (Yuca) - produces Tapioca Starch/Flour

1 Pod = 1283/2566 plants

Pinder

per 550 sqm pod

=

Buildings

550 sqm per classroom pod