Welcome to a pivotal conversation on the future of our built world. The concrete industry, indispensable for modern infrastructure, is facing an urgent mandate: reconcile its foundational role (pun) with its role as a source of environmental pollution. The scale of the emissions are staggering - if global concrete manufacturing were a country it would be the 3rd largest emitter, behind only China and the US (!). The good news is that with this a motivation the global concrete industry is now rethinking its entire lifecycle.
In this episode, host Kristof sits down with John Mead, one of the founders of Solid Carbon to talk about efforts to transform concrete from a carbon emitter into a "net carbon sink. By converting waste carbon materials, wood being one, into a mass of solid carbon through pyrolysis and then using this carbon sink in a durable material through concrete we are making a huge impact in an industry that needs to make some powerful shifts in the years ahead.
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Welcome to a pivotal conversation on the future of our built world. The concrete industry, indispensable for modern infrastructure, is facing an urgent mandate: reconcile its foundational role (pun) with its role as a source of environmental pollution. The scale of the emissions are staggering - if global concrete manufacturing were a country it would be the 3rd largest emitter, behind only China and the US (!). The good news is that with this a motivation the global concrete industry is now rethinking its entire lifecycle.
In this episode, host Kristof sits down with John Mead, one of the founders of Solid Carbon to talk about efforts to transform concrete from a carbon emitter into a "net carbon sink. By converting waste carbon materials, wood being one, into a mass of solid carbon through pyrolysis and then using this carbon sink in a durable material through concrete we are making a huge impact in an industry that needs to make some powerful shifts in the years ahead.
Designer Desiccants, Molecular Filters, and the Prospects of Dehumidification
The Building Science Podcast
1 hour 6 minutes 3 seconds
12 months ago
Designer Desiccants, Molecular Filters, and the Prospects of Dehumidification
What is the future of dehumidification? Turns out this simple question opens up an exciting view of the future of IAQ generally. The goal of a low energy method for removing water molecules from a flowing airstream boils down to some way of identifying, grabbing and holding onto them. Essentially we are talking about a designer desiccant or molecular filter that lets the air pass through while it filters out water molecules.
If we can do this, the next logical question is “Why stop there?” Why not identify a broad range of pollutants and contaminants in the airstream and also select and remove them as well?
Enter molecularly sensitive filtration based on Metal Oxide Framework (MOF) technology. MOFs are a type of advanced material that scientists are developing to tackle a wide range of challenges, from clean energy, to environmental protection via direct air carbon capture (DACC), to health and drug delivery.. While the name may sound complex, the basic idea behind MOFs is relatively simple—they are materials made by combining metal ions (like zinc, iron, or copper) with organic molecules to create a kind of 3D structure that is highly porous, meaning it has lots of tiny holes or cavities - and they operate as a molecular sieve or filter.
Join Kristof as he interviews Todd DeMonte of Madison IAQ to unpack the future of dehumidification and learn about desiccants, and the potential for metal oxide frameworks. Along the way we learn whether the “good old” compressor-based dehumidifier is likely to remain the preferred and appropriate approach for many years to come. This is an episode that will bring you up to date at this important edge of the industry. Enjoy!
The Building Science Podcast
Welcome to a pivotal conversation on the future of our built world. The concrete industry, indispensable for modern infrastructure, is facing an urgent mandate: reconcile its foundational role (pun) with its role as a source of environmental pollution. The scale of the emissions are staggering - if global concrete manufacturing were a country it would be the 3rd largest emitter, behind only China and the US (!). The good news is that with this a motivation the global concrete industry is now rethinking its entire lifecycle.
In this episode, host Kristof sits down with John Mead, one of the founders of Solid Carbon to talk about efforts to transform concrete from a carbon emitter into a "net carbon sink. By converting waste carbon materials, wood being one, into a mass of solid carbon through pyrolysis and then using this carbon sink in a durable material through concrete we are making a huge impact in an industry that needs to make some powerful shifts in the years ahead.
