Buildings made from recycled plastic bricks that slot together like Lego pieces could be the future of the construction industry, a leading expert has said.
An engineer from a UK university has created a brick, made from 3D-printed recycled plastic, which he claims could revolutionise how buildings are constructed.
The brick, which was displayed as part of a conference this week at Expo 2020 Dubai, is said to offer 10 times more insulation than the traditional clay version.
The plastic pieces could solve a problems such as making housing cheaper and more energy efficient, said creator Dr Karthikeyan Kandan, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at De Montfort University in Leicester.
“The construction industry is always looking for sustainable options, especially in this region where there are net zero targets,” said Dr Kandan, speaking to The National at Expo's UK pavilion.
"Everyone is committed to make green buildings so there’s been a lot of interest in the bricks. It can play a key role in helping to reduce carbon footprint.”
Dr Kandan said that while the plastic and clay bricks cost the same, savings are made when taking the insulation benefits into account, as less energy is wasted.
He said the size of the bricks could change if necessary and they could be used to create walls in advance, which could speed up the construction process.
“We can put them together in interlocking bricks, like Lego,” he said.
“Or you can print bigger panels that are not made from separate bricks, it will help to reduce the amount of time spent constructing a wall brick-by-brick with slurry and cement.”
A vital facet in the creation of the brick was ensuring it was made from recycled plastic to help reduce the amount of pollution produced, said Dr Kandan.
“We wanted to make sure we were helping the world by recycling domestic plastic waste,” he said.
“The world has produced millions of tonnes of plastic already so it was important for us to recycle single-use plastic rather than create more and add to the problem.”
Almost 300 million tonnes of plastic pollution is produced each year globally, the equivalent weight of the human race, the UN Environment Programme says.
Less than 10 per cent of that waste is recycled, with the rest ending up in dumps, landfill or discarded into the natural environment.
Another potential advantage of the brick is that its adaptability could be used to help lower-income countries solve housing problems.
“In poorer countries they might need a shelter to accommodate people,” said Dr Kandan.
“Using the plastic brick means it could be assembled much quicker than using traditional methods.”
The brick is built using a criss-cross of recycled plastics on the interior to form a grid, which Dr Kandan said was designed to resemble a bird’s nest.
Discussions have already taken place with construction industry leaders in the region to develop the project further, he said.
Indonesia's plastic museum: in pictures
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
HAJJAN
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%E2%80%98White%20Elephant%E2%80%99
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jesse%20V%20Johnson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Rooker%2C%20Bruce%20Willis%2C%20John%20Malkovich%2C%20Olga%20Kurylenko%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
