Building with pollution

Abstract

Black carbon is an ever-growing global problem and one of the most
important environmental issues of this generation. Black carbon, also known
as soot, is a highly polluting substance and it is the second-largest polluter
after carbon dioxide. BC consists of pure carbon in various forms and is
produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass.
It is transported by air movement and wind, but can also be transferred by
rain and snow. The positive aspect of BC is that it only stays in the
atmosphere for a few days or weeks, whereas the atmospheric lifetime of
carbon dioxide is about 100 years. The removal of black carbon from the
atmosphere can have a major impact on the environment and human health.
Because of its short lifetime, the results of its removal are visible after only a
few weeks.

Black carbon not only threatens major cities and the places where it is
produced but because it is light and travels fast, it is a major threat to the
polar ice caps. Every day it can travel thousands of kilometers from where it is
produced to the Arctic, Himalayas, and Antarctica. Because BC is black, it
absorbs a large amount of solar radiation, and even a small amount of soot
deposited on snow or ice causes rapid melting.

Black carbon warms the climate in two ways. Firstly, when it is suspended in
the atmosphere, it absorbs direct sunlight and generates heat that warms the
air and affects the formation of clouds and thus precipitation in some regions.
Secondly, when deposited on snow and ice, it performs the same function -
absorbing sunlight and trapping it instead of reflecting it into space,
accelerating the melting of the most reflective natural elements - snow and
ice. Recent studies suggest that black carbon is responsible for more than
40% of the ice melt and rapid warming in the Arctic, which will lead to even
faster warming and wildlife extinction if no action is taken. BC has also been
shown to be one of the main reasons for rapid ice melt in the Himalayas,
which is the region’s main source of freshwater. Moreover, BC has recently
been found even in Antarctica. The place where about 80% of the world’s
freshwater is stored and the area accounts for 90% of the snow and ice cover.

The polar ice caps are the largest reflective surface on Earth, snow and ice are
much more reflective than land or even water. Once BC is deposited on
surfaces with a high albedo, its particles reduce the total albedo available to
reflect solar energy to space. The reduced albedo of snow increases the
surface temperature, which decreases the snow-covered area and causes the
ice caps to melt much faster. The ice caps will trap the sun’s energy instead of
reflecting it, the water level will rise dramatically, we will lose more than 80%
of the earth’s freshwater reserves to the oceans, numerous species will
become extinct, and the temperature on earth will be higher than ever before.

Firstly, the thesis is focused on how black carbon is deposited, where and by
what means it is formed. But more importantly, how it moves and which
albedo surface on Earth is most threatened by the deposition of black carbon
aerosols. This initial research helped determine the site based on how
vulnerable it is.

The project then breaks down into two main phases. Phase one is the capture
station. It is researched and constructed to capture the greatest amount of
soot from the atmosphere in the area. This capture station is located where
the winds are stronger and ship transport is more frequent. Once captured
black carbon can be filtered out of the air and reused to make building
materials such as tiles and bricks, it is also used to make pigments such as ink.

Phase two of the project will be a building built with the captured pollution, it
will be a research center, a museum, but also a monument (a warning sign)
showing that as long as this building expands or others are built in different
places around the world, the earth is at risk and there is something extra we
can do to stop global warming and especially black carbon emissions. Phase
two will not only serve as a research center and museum for further
education and study of the local climate and air status, but it will be a “red
flag” for all of us, signaling that even if the problem is not visible, it does not
mean it is not there. The building’s function is not therefore to save the planet
and completely eliminate air pollution in the region. It aims to raise
awareness, to bring a discussion, and to provoke as a contradictory artwork
itself.

• author: Kovacheva, Zornitsa Hristova
• supervisor: Gediminas Kirdeikis
• organization: Department of Architecture and Built Environment
• course: AAHM10 20211
• year: 2021
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Arts and Architecture
• language: English
• id: 9062381
• date added to LUP: 2021-08-04 16:42:41
• date last changed: 2021-08-04 16:42:41