Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 14th International Conference on Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Engineering (NOCMAT 2013) March 24-27, 2013, Joao Pessoa, Brazil

The general aim here is to use renewable and non-polluting materials in ways that offer a high degree of sustainability and preserve the remaining natural resources for future generations. Keywords: Biobased Materials, Renewable Materials, Non-polluting Materials, Sustainability, Wood, Agricultural Waste, Grasses, Natural Plant Fibers, Lignocellulosic Materials, Carbohydrates, Sugars, Lignin, Cellulose, Vegetable Oils, Proteins, Bamboo, Vegetable Fibers, Soil Composites, Recycled Materials, Rice Husk Ash, Sugar Cane Ash, Fiber-reinforced Concrete, Post-disaster Reconstruction, Guadua Fibers, Prefabricated Bamboo Guadua Panels, Multi-Level Bamboo Structures, Alkaline Activated Cements, Polymer Residues Reinforced with Glass Fiber, Composites Reinforced with Vegetal Fibers, Sisal Fibers, Bamboo Arch Structure, Adobe Reinforced with Wheat Fibers, Fiber Reinforced Microconcrete, Cements with High Coal Waste Contents, Natural Composites, Geopolymer Concretes.

Nonconventional and Vernacular Construction Materials: Characterisation, Properties and Applications, Second Edition covers the topic by taking into account sustainability, the conservation movement, and current interests in cultural identity and its preservation. This updated edition presents case studies, information on relevant codes and regulations, and how they apply (or do not apply) to nocmats. Leading international experts contribute chapters on current applications and the engineering of these construction materials. Sections review vernacular construction, provide future directions for nonconventional and vernacular materials research, focus on natural fibers, and cover the use of industrial byproducts and natural ashes in cement mortar and concrete. - Takes a scientifically rigorous approach to vernacular and non-conventional building materials and their applications - Includes a series of case studies and new material on codes and regulations, thus providing an invaluable compendium of practical knowhow - Presents the wider context of materials science and its applications in the sustainability agenda

The book presents new research in the area of biobased “green composites”. Biobased materials involve renewable agricultural and forestry feedstocks, including wood, agricultural waste, grasses and natural plant fibers. These lignocellulosic materials are composed mainly of carbohydrates such as sugar and lignin, cellulose, vegetable oils and proteins. Much research is concerned with renewable materials such as bamboo, vegetable fibers, soil composites and recycled materials such as rice husk ash and sugar cane ash. The general aim here is to use renewable and non-polluting materials in ways that offer a high degree of sustainability and preserve the remaining natural resources for future generations. Keywords: Biobased Materials, Renewable Materials, Non-polluting Materials, Sustainability, Wood, Agricultural Waste, Grasses, Natural Plant Fibers, Lignocellulosic Materials, Carbohydrates, Sugars, Lignin, Cellulose, Vegetable Oils, Proteins, Bamboo, Vegetable Fibers, Soil Composites, Recycled Materials, Rice Husk Ash, Sugar Cane Ash, Fiber-reinforced Concrete, Post-disaster Reconstruction, Guadua Fibers, Prefabricated Bamboo Guadua Panels, Multi-Level Bamboo Structures, Alkaline Activated Cements, Polymer Residues Reinforced with Glass Fiber, Composites Reinforced with Vegetal Fibers, Sisal Fibers, Bamboo Arch Structure, Adobe Reinforced with Wheat Fibers, Fiber Reinforced Microconcrete, Cements with High Coal Waste Contents, Natural Composites, Geopolymer Concretes.

Collection of selected, peer reviewed papers from the 14th International Conference on Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies Construction Materials and Technologies for Sustainability (14th NOCMAT 2013) March 24-27, 2013, Joao Pessoa, Brazil. The 84 papers are grouped as follows: Chapter 1: Bamboo and Wood; Chapter 2: Earthen Materials and Constructions; Chapter 3: Cement, Mortar and Concrete; Chapter 4: Standards, Guidelines and Policy Issues; Chapter 5: Composites Reinforced with Vegetable Fibers; Chapter 6: Structural Integrity and Durability; Chapter 7: Advances in Research Methodologies and Material Testing; Chapter 8: Recycling of Industrial, Agricultural and Urban Waste; Chapter 9: Affordable Housing Using Low Cost Energy Saving Materials. The 82 papers presented during the March 2013 conference explore new materials manufactured from bamboo, dirt, wood, cement, mortar, concrete, vegetable fibers, agricultural waste, and urban waste. The primarily Brazilian researchers investigate the mechanical behavior of bamboo under compression along the culm, new ways to bond bamboo with concrete, the properties of lime-based mortars made from kaolin waste, the reinforcement of adobe walls with toad rush mesh, and the grinding of residual sugar cane bagasse ash. Other topics include building components made from recycled plastics, peanut husk panels made with castor oil polyurethane adhesive, pastes of plaster with latex of euphorbia tirucalli, and the use of demolition waste in lateritic concrete. -- Composite materials-- Environmental engineering-- Green engineering-- Materials science-- Organic materials-- Textiles.

Sustainable Construction Technologies: Life-Cycle Assessment provides practitioners with a tool to help them select technologies that are financially advantageous even though they have a higher initial cost. Chapters provide an overview of LCA and how it can be used in conjunction with other indicators to manage construction. Topics covered include indoor environment quality, energy efficiency, transport, water reuse, materials, land use and ecology, and more. The book presents a valuable tool for construction professionals and researchers that want to apply sustainable construction techniques to their projects. Practitioners will find the international case studies and discussions of worldwide regulation and standards particularly useful. - Provides a framework for analyzing sustainable construction technologies and economic viability - Introduces key credit criteria for different sustainable construction technologies - Covers the most relevant construction areas - Includes technologies that can be employed during the process of construction, or to the product of the construction process, i.e. buildings - Analyzes international rating systems and provides supporting case studies

The important resource that explores the twelve design principles of sustainable environmental engineering Sustainable Environmental Engineering (SEE) is to research, design, and build Environmental Engineering Infrastructure System (EEIS) in harmony with nature using life cycle cost analysis and benefit analysis and life cycle assessment and to protect human health and environments at minimal cost. The foundations of the SEE are the twelve design principles (TDPs) with three specific rules for each principle. The TDPs attempt to transform how environmental engineering could be taught by prioritizing six design hierarchies through six different dimensions. Six design hierarchies are prevention, recovery, separation, treatment, remediation, and optimization. Six dimensions are integrated system, material economy, reliability on spatial scale, resiliency on temporal scale, and cost effectiveness. In addition, the authors, two experts in the field, introduce major computer packages that are useful to solve real environmental engineering design problems. The text presents how specific environmental engineering issues could be identified and prioritized under climate change through quantification of air, water, and soil quality indexes. For water pollution control, eight innovative technologies which are critical in the paradigm shift from the conventional environmental engineering design to water resource recovery facility (WRRF) are examined in detail. These new processes include UV disinfection, membrane separation technologies, Anammox, membrane biological reactor, struvite precipitation, Fenton process, photocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants, as well as green infrastructure. Computer tools are provided to facilitate life cycle cost and benefit analysis of WRRF. This important resource: • Includes statistical analysis of engineering design parameters using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) • Presents Monte Carlos simulation using Crystal ball to quantify uncertainty and sensitivity of design parameters • Contains design methods of new energy, materials, processes, products, and system to achieve energy positive WRRF that are illustrated with Matlab • Provides information on life cycle costs in terms of capital and operation for different processes using MatLab Written for senior or graduates in environmental or chemical engineering, Sustainable Environmental Engineering defines and illustrates the TDPs of SEE. Undergraduate, graduate, and engineers should find the computer codes are useful in their EEIS design. The exercise at the end of each chapter encourages students to identify EEI engineering problems in their own city and find creative solutions by applying the TDPs. For more information, please visit www.tang.fiu.edu.