Concrete is one of the most common building materials in the Northern Periphery and Arctic, and therefore we should pay attention to its quality while reducing its carbon footprint. The concrete industry has established many measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions from concrete, as stated in the environmental product declaration (EPD). The most significant contributor is cement (common dose ...

This study investigates transformations of a pre-mechanically activated saponite-containing material with subsequent high-temperature treatment. The thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that the mechanical activation of saponite leads to the destruction of its layered structure, accompanied by the release of silicon dioxide and magnesium oxide in free form. The values of surface activity for ...

Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system that generates electricity by anaerobic oxidation of substrates. An anode is the most critical component because the primary conversion of wastewater into electrons and protons takes place on the surface of the anode, where a biofilm is formed. This paper describes the essential properties of the anode and classifies its types according ...

This paper aimed to investigate the up-to-date levels of sustainability in the UK construction with special interest to sustainable housing. It also aims to examine the justification behind construction and housing sustainability, and to look at the practicality of transferring current expertise within the UK as well as to an emerging Central Asian country such as Kazakhstan. A synergy of case ...

Renewable energy technologies are becoming widely integrated into energy generation systems around the world. While the majority of such technologies are integrated at a large scale in the form of wind and solar farms, there is a need for their incorporation into the built environment. A university campus is an ideal place for testing and understanding how renewable energy technologies can be ...

While design optimization of buildings seeks to improve energy efficiency and, thus, leads to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, the thermal performance of buildings can be compromised. Thermal performance is an important aspect as it directly affects the health and wellbeing of occupants. This study aims to investigate using a simple simulation tool to examine the correlation between a set of ...

This paper evaluates the thermal performance of a triple-glazed glass window filled with a phase-change material (PCM) compared to the performance of a traditional triple-glazed window with air gaps. The chosen PCM was paraffin wax. A mathematical model to simulate heat transfer within the system was presented. A commercially available software, COMSOL Multiphysics, was used to numerically solve ...

The circular economy in the construction sector in emerging economies is one of the most promising concepts that aims to keep the value of the construction materials and structures as long as possible. The construction industry is rapidly developing in Kazakhstan with a yearly increase in projects. This research paper investigates the construction sector in Kazakhstan in terms of the potential ...

Crystallographic aspects of heterogeneous plastic flow during ductile tearing are assessed experimentally by combining in situ synchrotron laminography imaging of notched flat samples with a full-field measurement technique and numerical simulations with the crystal plasticity finite element method (CP-FEM). Advantage is taken of the plane strain condition in the region ahead of the notch root (i.e., ...