Sustainable composite material for building surface maintenance

《清洁空气法》(1968)降低了雨水的毒性和酸度，导致地衣和藻类在建筑环境中不受控制地扩散。藻类会导致建筑物表面难看的污渍。地衣是藻类和真菌之间的共生关系，为屋顶上的苔藓提供了一个支撑点和营养来源。屋顶上的苔藓生长堵塞排水渠道，在冬天冻结和膨胀，将石板推开，导致水进入屋顶空间，失去热完整性。屋顶苔藓清洁行业目前使用对环境有害的除藻剂喷雾，以防止地衣和苔藓重新生长。这一过程需要每2-3年重复一次。铜丝、铜带和屋脊瓷砖在屋顶表面氧化并释放铜，为苔藓控制提供了一种更环保的替代方案。然而，铜表面会迅速氧化，需要每隔2-3年才能进入屋顶进行研磨抛光才能继续工作。在之前的Innovate UK项目(103015)中，项目合作伙伴创造了主要由食品和饮料制造业的副产品组成的复合材料，可以提供长达15年的免维护控制，以控制建筑环境中各种表面上的藻类、地衣和苔藓的生长。这项技术的更广泛好处是减少有机杀生剂污染物的使用，降低家庭成本和潜在的屋顶损害风险，使用不可再生资源和废物再利用。这项计划将确定和解决引入创新解决方案以进一步增强环境可持续性的经济和技术挑战，以及将创新转化为商业的循环经济商业模式。

Reductions in the toxicity and acidity of rain as a result of the Clean Air Act (1968) led to an uncontrolled proliferation of lichen and algae on surfaced in the built environment. Algae can cause unsightly staining of building surfaces. Lichen, which are a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi, provide an anchorage point and nutrient source for moss on roofs. Moss growth on roofs block drainage channels and freeze and expand in winter, pushing slates apart leading to water ingress into roof spaces and losses of thermal integrity.The roof moss cleaning industry currently uses environmentally damaging algaecide sprays to prevent lichen and moss re-growth. A process that needs to be repeated every 2-3 years. Copper wire, bands and ridge tiles, which oxidise and release copper over a roof surface provide a more environmentally-benign alternative for moss control. However, copper surfaces oxidise rapidly and require roof access for abrasive polishing every 2-3 years to continue workingIn a previous Innovate UK project (103015) the project partners created composite materials composed predominantly of by-products from food and drink manufacturing industries, that could provide up to 15 years of maintenance-free control of algae, lichen and moss growth on a range of surfaces in the built environment. The wider benefits of this technology are a reduced use of organic biocide pollutants, a reduction in cost and potential roof damage risk for householders and use of non-renewable resources use and the re-purposing of waste materials.This project will identify and address the economic and technological challenges for introducing an innovative solution to further enhance environmental sustainability and a Circular Economy business model for commercialising the innovation.