AWARD YEAR
2019
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Sustainable Cities & Communities
KEYWORDS
Reuse, biodegradable, energy
COUNTRY
Mexico
DESIGNED BY
Minerva Valier Camacho
WEBSITE
https://cleanenergychallenge.whatdesigncando.com/projects/bio-pet-for-energy/
Bio PET For Energy
Synthesis of a biodegradable film from PET discarded for use in the construction of a solar biopanel
According to the government of México, Mexico City generates enough garbage per day to fill an entire football stadium and 4 tons correspond to plastic bottles. For this reason, the collection and processing of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles are proposed for their reuse; by developing a biodegradable polymer. This new product will be used as a film to form the structure of a solar biopanel that will generate energy, absorb CO2 and release oxygen. To obtain the biodegradable polymer from the PET, the bottles pass through certain laboratory processes, in order to finally make an assembly of the structure of the biopanel. The biopanel is composed mainly by micro algae and organic nanoparticles, optimizing energy generation up to 30%, being more efficient than current technologies and giving some benefits than a tree can do, as oxygen production and minimize the pollution.