Sustainable wall elements dehumidify interiors

(CONNECT) A team of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH) has developed components that can be used to dehumidify rooms. According to a press release, the elements are able to bind moisture and thus temporarily store it. The wall elements are made of a hygroscopic moisture-binding material. This is capable of absorbing a higher level of humidity in an interior room if required and then releasing it back into its surroundings by ventilating the room. "Our solution is recommended for heavily frequented rooms for which the installed ventilation systems are inadequate," the supervisor of the research project, Guillaume Habert, Professor of Sustainable Building at ETH, is quoted as saying in the press release.

The construction elements are made from reusable materials, using waste from marble quarries. These are finely ground and processed with a binding material, a so-called geopolymer, to form a solid building material. The geopolymer consists of an aqueous potassium silicate solution and metakaolin, which is traditionally used in the production of porcelain. Production is carried out using 3D printing technology. In this technique, the marble powder is applied in layers and bonded using geopolymer. "This process can be used to efficiently produce components in a wide range of shapes," says Benjamin Dillenburger, Professor of Digital Construction Technologies at ETH. So far, the team has been able to produce prototypes of a wall and ceiling element measuring 20 by 20 centimeters and 4 centimeters thick. Following this proof of concept, the researchers see opportunities to scale up the technology to an industrial scale. ce/eb