Supervisors - Fiona Bradley, University of Strathclyde and Dr. Mike Jarvis, University of Glasgow
PhD Student - Cassandra Dove, University of Strathclyde
Status - Closed
This three year PhD project, which aligns itself to the ETP theme entitled “Energy Utilisation in Buildings”, proposes to investigate composite materials for building applications comprised of locally available raw materials, in this case indigenous species of macro-algae and inorganic clays. The research will focus specifically on materials which can enhance the thermal performance of both new build and retrofit projects, either through providing thermal mass and contributing to humidity regulation or by improving the overall U-value of the building envelope. The role of the macro-algae is critical in this research project as the biopolymers obtained from this marine resource, primarily in the form of alginates, are a local and abundant resource which in recent decades has become under-utilised within Scotland. However, new energy efficient harvesting and processing techniques developed by the project’s industrial partner Marine Bio-polymers Ltd (MBL) will produce cost-effective and sustainably manufactured alginate biopolymers in Scotland, offering significant environmental benefits over synthetic polymers. This new, innovative processing technique utilises wet seaweeds which are processed directly at the point of harvest, therefore omitting the need for an energy intensive drying process. This current development of the company has therefore provided the incentive to diversifying the potential uses for alginate products The project will involve collaboration between the Universities of Strathclyde, Glasgow and Seville and the PhD student will work closely with MBL during the development of their new production plant in Ayr, to determine the most effective type of alginate products for use within the proposed applications. The research will also analyse the embodied energy involved in production therefore providing a unique opportunity to develop a holistic analysis of the supply chain and the whole-life energy/carbon costs of the proposed product prototypes.