Silvia Titotto
Universidade Federal do ABC, Brazil
Title: Sustainable energy performance: bioinspiration from thermoregulation of the termite mounds
Biography
Biography: Silvia Titotto
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: There is strong evidence of openings of possibilities for new paradigms for construction projects from recent research results that found that termites act as a lung that breathes once a day, driven by temperature changes between day and night, expelling carbon dioxide that accumulates activity of subterranean termites. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: This research examines biomimetic mechanisms of thermoregulation in termite mounds and aims to develop technological innovations for the built environment for greater energy efficiency, promoted by the thermoregulatory processes of these social insects. The methods of this research have been based on verifications at experimental modeling via computer graphics and by rapid prototypes that have been built from recent literature data. Findings: The preliminary results contrasts with longstanding assumptions biologists had that the termite mounds existed both to dissipate heat from the nest or ventilation in response to external air flux and confirms the recent trend in the field. Conclusion & Significance: This research has also reached social dimension when it aimed technical solutions that could also be applied in the future to emergency situations resulting from natural disasters, for example, or even cultural events in areas without energy infrastructure. Possible expansion of future proposals energy grid high performance, following non-linear geometry branches, which probably could significantly reduce costs for the local populations.