Tag: engineering

Highlights from Redcity's Sustainability Webinar.

A little over two days ago, Redcity launched its much-anticipated online course on sustainable engineering in Africa. The launch commenced with a webinar held from 10a.m. – 3p.m. on the 5th of April, 2024, and another from 10a.m. – 3p.m. on the 6th of April, 2024.

The purpose of the launch was to introduce participants to the concept of sustainable engineering. This way, more individuals learn about the importance of sustainability and become motivated to participate in more sustainable practices for a greener tomorrow.

Here are a few highlights from Redcity's sustainability webinar.

The founder of Redcity, Morountodun Obaigbo, headed the webinar which centered around the topic "Engineering the Future of Cities in Africa''. It welcomed over 100 participants from all across Africa, surpassing its initial goal of 100 participants.

Key Takeaways to Remember

• Identifying problems with everyone in mind is necessary to developing effective solutions for future cities.

• In sustainable development and innovation, many subcategories of engineering interrelate in developing solutions for future African cities.

In summary, the launch was a success and ultimately received positive feedback. Participants learned the value of sustainability in engineering as well as the various categories and subcategories of engineering involved in sustainable development. They were also introduced to a list of African companies already leading the way in sustainable development. Companies such as:

Redcity

Bboxx

Awa Bike

Quadloop

Arnergy Solar

Solynta Energy

Sistema Bio and much more

Once again, we would like to say a huge thank you to all who took the time to register for our course and join our webinar. We also hope to see many more participants in the coming future.

If you would also like to register for our free course and get certification after completing it, simply click here to get started. We can't wait to have you join!

What interesting fact(s) did you take away from our webinar on engineering sustainable cities in Africa? Comment below.

   

7 Career Opportunities for Engineers of the Future.

Engineering remains an ever-important field in almost every aspect of human existence. Whether it's in construction or manufacturing, engineering plays a key role in making society function. Because of this, it evolves as the world evolves.

The current trend in sustainable practices and the advent of new technologies, for instance, have revolutionized the world of engineering in so many ways. This is why the demand for engineers of the future is only set to increase. With that said, let's explore 7 career opportunities for engineers of the future.

 

Sustainability Development Policy Makers:

Enforcement of sustainability goals can only be made when government listen to the people. Those in sustainability policymaking, ensure that companies make the right decisions in protecting the future of earth and cities. With diverse backgrounds, these groups of people can take on any form, from government to NGOs to companies, like The Green Campus Initiative.

Carbon Emissions Measurement and Data:

Engineers in this field, like those at The Carbon Collective Company, focus on developing and implementing technologies to accurately measure and analyse carbon emissions from industries, transportation, and energy production. In addition, they work with data collection instruments, sensors, and analytical tools to monitor emissions and provide data-driven insights on reducing emissions.

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Container Construction Engineer:

These experts excel in transforming shipping containers into functional and visually appealing structures. By utilising the sturdy, modular nature of shipping containers, they create innovative living spaces, work spaces, and even temporary shelters. In this manner, they contribute to waste reduction and encourage sustainability. Redcity specialises in container construction and has built a number of modular workspace structures simply by repurposing shipping containers.

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Traffic/Road Data Analysis:

Engineers here analyse traffic patterns, road conditions, and transportation systems to optimise efficiency, safety, and sustainability. In addition, they use data from various sources, including cameras and sensors, to model traffic flow, identify congestion hotspots, and propose traffic management strategies. The reduces carbon pollution in cities by reducing gas burning and decongesting road systems.

Upscaling Engineer:

The Flipflopi Project and Quadloop are experts at upscaling. The practice involves converting waste materials or by-products into new products or materials of greater quality and value. Engineers in this field work with waste materials like metal scraps, cans, plastics, e.t.c. to not only create something valuable but also reduce waste pollution and partake in sustainable practices.

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Renewable Energy Distribution:

Engineers here design, construct, and maintain renewable energy structures such as wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal energy systems, and so on. They also work on grid integration, storage solutions, and transmission infrastructure to maximise the use of renewable energy sources and minimise reliance on fossil fuels. You can find innovative companies like Ecozar Technologies, Flexi Biogas Solutions and Arnergy Solar specialising in this field.

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Mini-grid Development:

Mini-grid engineers, like ENGIE Energy, specialise in designing and implementing decentralised electricity distribution systems, known as mini-grids, in remote or off-grid areas. By integrating renewable energy sources with energy storage and distribution technologies, they provide reliable and sustainable power to off-grid communities.

Electric Mobility Engineer:

Engineers here focus on developing electric vehicles (EVs), charging ports, and related technologies to support the transition to electric mobility. Additionally, they focus on battery technology, electric drivetrains, charging station networks, and vehicle-to-grid connectivity to increase the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce reliance on fossil fuels for transportation. This field is special to companies like BasiGo, Hellobikee, and E-Safiri Charging Limited.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwRraWPKyLw/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

In summary, the engineering field is rapidly growing, and the career opportunities for engineers of the future are diverse and exciting.

For this reason, Redcity is launching a FREE online course on sustainable development for STEM students. The course will acquaint them with the diverse opportunities that come with sustainable engineering; furthermore, it will show them how to effectively utilise said opportunities. To register for the course, interested applicants can simply click here to get started.

Did you find "7 career opportunities for engineers of the future" informative? Comment below.

 

Using Sawdust and Wood Ash as a substitute for concrete in sustainable engineering.

Sawdust is typically woodmill waste, according to business waste, Waste sawdust is sent to industrial composting sites where it's processed alongside other organic waste, like food and garden waste. This large-scale composting recycles the sawdust into fresh organic matter that's used on farms, gardens, and other land.

There are other properties of Saw dust that mean it can be reused in other ways such as a substitute for concrete. Using sawdust, woodash and concrete, one can develop techniques to apply this waste byproduct in sustainability engineering to reduce cost and reuse waste.

According to research published by Wegdan W. El-nadoury of Alexandria University on research gate, here are a few properties of sawdust that can make it a useful substitute in sustainable engineering:

Previous research specified that natural fiber provides considerable reduction in weight of structure, improves sound absorbent properties owing to its excessive void ratio, facilitates handling, mixing and placing of mixtures competed to other types of concrete [2–3].

It is alsorecognized by its low production cost, less health hazards, and accessible processing [2–3].
An equally significant direction is the usage of industrial wastes in producing of building materials
with low density, sound and heat conductivity, as well as high physical and mechanical properties.

These materials are used in casting cellular concrete for constructing the external and internal walls of buildings
[4–5]. Several studies describe the compositions and technology for producing cellular concrete from
lightweight geopolymers as an example of industrial wastes [6–13].

According to scholars, here is the physical and chemical properties of sawdust:

Table 2: Physical and chemical properties of sawdust.

Chemical properties	Value	Physical properties	Value
Extractives	3.3	Moisture content	10.8
Lignin	29.3	Apparent specific gravity	0.14
Hollocellulose	83.8	Porosity (%)	84
Carbon (C) (%)	61.58	Water retention (%)	50
Hydrogen (H) (%)	5.32	Water drainage (mls-1)	282.0
Oxygen (O) (%)	33.04
Nitrogen (N)	0	width="186">

Now let's explore the properties of wood ash: 

Typically, wood ash contains the following major elements:
Carbon (C) — 5–30%.
Calcium (Ca) — 7–33%
Potassium (K) — 3–10%
Magnesium (Mg) — 1–2%
Manganese (Mn) — 0.3–1.3%
Phosphorus (P) — 0.3–1.4%
Sodium (Na) — 0.2–0.5%.

To successfully combine these byproducts into structures for sustainable engineering, they would need to be mixed in part with concrete and their usecases would be limited to avoid compromising structures.

Here is a personally recommended numerical engineering for a mixture that would be effective as well as quality for outdoor interlocking tiles. Recommended numeric formulae below: 

Ingredient	Percentage %
Cement	20
Saw Dust	24
Wood Ash	27
Sand	10
Quarry Dust	15-25
Water	11

Any changes in this formulae mixture might cause the cement to either set too quickly or not or alternatively it could affect the strength of the mixture.

Here is a personally recommended numerical engineering for a mixture that would be effective as well as quality for indoor or modular flooring stacked on joist flooring designed with either angle rods, 'I' beam or wood. The flooring can be cast into sheets with low square surface area for adequate load distribution.

Recommended numeric formulae below: 

Ingredient	Percentage %
Cement	10
Saw Dust	44
Wood Ash	27
Sand	5
POP	14
Water	11

Below is the engineering structure built on joist flooring stacked with this mixture and can be finished with Vinyl or Wood Plastic Composite. 

While its use cases are limited due to insufficient research, these outlined usecases are ways we can explore substituting with woodash and sawdust to reduce cost and reuse what would otherwise be waste.

For more personal research and reading on "Using Sawdust and Wood Ash as a substitute for concrete in sustainable engineering", feel free to click on any of the links to research further.

If you would like a sample of these mixes, fill the form below so we'll ship to you as a sample for more research on this sustainable alternative.

Learn more about sustainable DIY furnishing here and free free to download the template to create some sustainable furnishing on your own. 

If you are interested in custom building sustainable or modular structures you can recieve a quote now here.