Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Beyond Green: Bio-reactor Integrated Building Envelope (BIBE) in Urban Environment
EPA Grant Number: SU835322Title: Beyond Green: Bio-reactor Integrated Building Envelope (BIBE) in Urban Environment
Investigators: Brentrup, Dale , Navarro, Aaron , Scharrer, Angela , Futrell, Benjamin , Dewulf, Bradford , Jones, Brian , Williams, Bryan , Brown, Chanel , Kuyath, Chelsea , Chlebda, Christine , Cho, Chung-Suk , Thaddeus, David , DeMatteo, Gina , Haig, James , Nutz, Jessica , Hyman, John , Kim, Kyoung-Hee , Andreasson, Martin , Parrow, Matthew , Todd, Michelle , Slobodiuk, Nathalie , Aaronson, Nathan , Zheng, Nigel , Sanchez, Paola , Sharp, Patricia , Mahabadi, Samaneh , Clark, Stephen , Cordes, William , Philemon, William , Mayo, William , Hu, Yiran (Carter)
Institution: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2013
Project Amount: $15,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The construction and operation of buildings significantly contributes to resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions. A challenge for the building design and construction industries and building owners is to provide healthy indoor environments without depleting non-renewable energy resources or contributing to air pollution and global warming. Our research of the P3 Phase I focused on the feasibility and prototyping of an algae bio-reactor integrated building envelope (BIBE) system, situated in urban environment, as a way to promote building sustainability and improve indoor air quality. BIBE is an innovative façade system in that a bio- reactor system has never been integrated into a building envelope as a sustainable alternative. Therefore, the primary objective of the research was to increase scientific knowledge and technological innovation integral to the development of BIBE. Further, the research aimed to optimize the energy performance of BIBE using photogrammetric techniques in order to facilitate design and system development of BIBE. Lastly, the research focused on the creation of a coalition between different departments that together can address common challenges to a carbon-neutral building and sustainable energy systems.
Our BIBE system has two primary components: 1) an algae façade panel, and 2) an algae- growing equipment. The algae façade panel contains an algae-growing zone and an unobstructed vision zone to allow viewing, daylighting and ventilation where necessary. The algae-growing apparatus includes a mechanical system (consisting of an air pump, a water pump and an algae filtration system) and a distribution system that uses PVC pipe to distribute air and water to and from the mechanical system and the algae façade panel. Our BIBE is configured to provide good daylight transmission and shading capability, perform efficiently as a load-bearing façade system, and replaces current glazing systems with adequate thermal and structural performance. BIBE is also designed to improve indoor air quality through O2 production and CO2 absorption as a result of photosynthesis of algae, thus leading to a healthier built environment and reduced building energy consumption associated with an operating ventilation system. Algae grown from BIBE have the potential to be converted into renewable fuel stocks such as biomass or biofuel.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The results of our life cycle analysis clearly show that our BIBE system can significantly reduce a building’s energy consumption and environmental impact by upgrading the façade of an old high-rise building. The study indicates that during a 30-year operational period, the case study building with old facades produces approximately 12,100 tons of carbon emissions, while the study building retrofitted with BIBE would generate 11,900 tons of carbon emissions, resulting in reducing the CO2 emissions by 200 tons over 30 years. The life cycle energy cost for the 30- year period was estimated to be $52,500,000 for the old building and $42,200,000 for the retrofitted building with BIBE.
Preliminary thermal testing indicated that the U-factor of BIBE is comparable to that of a low-e coated IGU (insulated glass unit). We expect it to outperform IGU in real application due to the thermal mass potential from algae and the addition of CO2 circulation in the BIBE water cavity. Our preliminary daylighting assessment indicated that BIBE’s vision zone can daylight a perimeter zone of an interior space without artificial lighting. Its algae zone, on the other hand, requires special attention to minimize color transmission. Currently, we are investigating different films or materials attached to the innermost layer of the algae zone to block color penetration through algae zone. Preliminary structural analysis indicated that the module of a vision zone can be designed to provide adequate stiffness and structural integrity. We also estimated expected CO2 reduction and biofuel potential from the BIBE based on published data. A high-rise building that contains 5000 BIBE panels, for example, would produce a net reduction of 350 kiloliters of CO2/hour from the entire façade, which equates to 500 tons of yearly kg CO2 reduction from the case study building examined in the life cycle assessment section.
We have developed a number of façade typologies and building applications unique to the sustainable façade system characteristics (i.e., customizable for optimum energy performance; aesthetically innovative using geometric variations and color). Because we used algae, which is often perceived in a negative light, it was especially important to have aesthetically pleasing and friendly design outcomes. We also used modern digital fabrication processes to optimize structural performance and long-term weatherability.
Conclusions:
The results of our research and design development show great potential for the new algae bioreactor-integrated building envelope (BIBE) system. Preliminary data show that this innovative system can provide a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing alternative to glass facades. Advantages of the BIBE system include good thermal performance, improved daylight transmission, and impact resistant. Further, the algae- growing area modulates solar gains over the entire year and has thermal mass potential for passive heating in winter months. BIBE reduces greenhouse gas emissions and even has future potential for producing a renewable energy fuel stock.
BIBE will benefit people and the planet by reducing concentrations of CO2 in outdoor and indoor environments and promote prosperity by developing local economies through its manufacturing and fabrication. Because algae can grow in different climates and locations, BIBE has the potential to create a wide variety of jobs, from research to engineering, construction to farming, and manufacturing to marketing. In addition, BIBE will produce renewable energy fuel stock and, consequently, protect the planet by lessening the need to extract and combust non-renewable energy resources.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 6 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
sustainable façade, bioreactor integrated building envelope, algae, biofuel, biotechnology, carbon zero building, negative carbon building, building’s life cycle analysis, building’s life cycle cost, sensitivity analysis, integrated design, performance-based design, high performance façade, sick building syndrome, human health, ecological effects, VOC, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem, social sustainability, economic sustainability, pollution preventionThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.