Two projects for the recovery in the form of panels of large amounts of plastic waste in Barcelona and for the improvement of the properties of a block of earth with the incorporation of rice starch have been awarded by the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair at the That year's call for the circular economy in construction awards aimed at end-of-degree and master's degree projects by students of the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC).
The awards were presented on November 30 at a ceremony held at the Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT) and in which the results of a year of work by the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair were also presented, focused on promoting innovation and talent training in construction and its related industry, and professional opportunities around the circular economy in the sector.
The prizes for the best end-of-study projects convened by the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair, based at ESEIAAT, have been created to "reward, encourage and attract talent among UPC engineers for the circular transformation of construction ".
The best end-of-degree project has been developed by the ESEIAAT student Marta Monteverde Méndez. The prize for the best master's thesis went to the student Kidzia Sandoval Castro, from the Barcelona Higher Polytechnic School of Building (EPSEB).
Marta Monteverde's final degree project proposes to design, develop and implement an industrial process to recover large amounts of plastic waste in Barcelona, in the form of panels. The student has focused on three areas: generating knowledge about the properties and applications of the material, as well as potential competitors; measure the impact of the initiative in the environmental, social and economic dimensions and, finally, design and develop a product made entirely with PlasticPLA panels, to show its possible applications.
Marta Monteverde explains that her work shows that "PlasticPLA panels are appropriate for domestic and commercial interior design, as well as for furniture design. However, their mechanical properties are inferior to those of the materials they are intended to replace and therefore it is necessary to assess its suitability for each specific application”.
For her part, Kidzia Sandoval has chosen, in her master's thesis, to improve the properties of a block of earth by incorporating a vegetable gel obtained from rice starch, a renewable and abundant resource that allows replicating the pieces of a simple way. And it is that the idea of the student is designed for the construction of homes for vulnerable social sectors, who live in areas without resources and where rice cultivation is common.
However, according to the EPSEB student, "the block I have designed is also an alternative for the construction industry that is sensitive to the environmental impact of its activity because its manufacturing process is respectful of the environment, since it does not requires the use of ovens”. Ground blocks made from rice starch have high water resistance and are highly resistant to compression.
The UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair awards ceremony was attended by the director of the ESEIAAT, Xavier Roca; the Co-CEO and founder of Grupo Construcía, Arturo Fernández; the Co-director of the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Construcía Group, Francisco Lendínez; the director of the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair, Núria Forcada; and the co-director of the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair, Pedro Júdez.
The event presented the results of the Chair's activities during its first year of life and discussed the opportunities presented by the application of the circular economy in construction for young talent. In addition, students have been informed about how to integrate as engineers in the Construcía Group.
The Construcía Group is an ecosystem of companies of products and services in circular economy in the construction sector. The Group is made up of four companies: Construcía (construction company), Construcía Instalaciones (engineering and installation), Circular Capital (positive impact investment management company) and Eco Intelligent Growth (circular economy consultancy).
The company celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and, for a decade, has collaborated with companies and organizations in the transition towards business models and the design of innovative, profitable and circular products. With its work, it aspires to de-link the construction sector from the massive consumption of raw materials to create spaces that are healthy for people, drastically reduce waste and are profitable for companies. Currently, it has offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.
