Vol 8, No 3 (2025)

The climate changes and depletion of natural resources within the recent decades have given a rise to an interest in sustainable power supply development, wind and solar energy in particular. According to IEA forecasts, the share of the wind power in global power production will have risen from 7% in 2022 to 15% in 2030. Despite the preveilance of the fossil fuels, the use of the wind power in architecture is important for the carbon emission reduction. Integration of the wind power plants requires an analysis of wind conditions, design, and compliance with the norms. The vertical-axis wind turbines applicable for use in the urban environment are efficient at the low wind speed, they require minimum maintenance and are capable of supplying power to the residential houses. The researches demonstrate that the vertical-axis turbines are more appropriate for installation at the top storeys of the buildings where they are resistant to changes of wind directions and are safe to operate. Contemporary wind power technologies are of big importance in creating environment-friendly and energy-efficient buildings by promoting the saving of resources and reduction of greenhouse gases emission. this article dwells upon the integration of low-power wind plants into the architecture of the high-rise buildings.

The study presents a comparative analysis of technical solutions and technologies for energy-efficient capital repairs of apartment buildings. The purpose of the study is to determine the most effective ways to increase the energy efficiency of a residential building by carrying out repair work. The methodological approaches of the study are based on a statistical analysis of the data on the results of major repairs in the practice of world construction. According to the results of the study, it was found that when planning major repairs in order to reduce energy consumption, special attention should be paid to choosing a set of technical solutions that collectively contribute to improving the energy efficiency of a residential building. The analysis showed that with the introduction of modern energy-saving technologies, the overhaul of apartment buildings makes it possible to modernize each building, increasing its level of energy efficiency and prolong its service life for at least a quarter of a century, which as a result improves the quality of life of citizens and accelerates the economic growth of the country. In our opinion, taking into account the international experience of reducing heat losses and energy consumption in residential apartment buildings, it is necessary to adopt new rules establishing approaches to determining the energy efficiency class and appropriate labeling of construction products, with a transition from using a relative indicator (deviations of the actual or projected annual specific energy consumption from the normative value) to setting minimum and maximum values (ranges of values) of energy consumption in apartment buildings for each energy efficiency class.

Low pressure profile and stable burning rate are important and necessary characteristics of high-quality solid fuels. Achieving their optimal values is accomplished by incorporating combustion catalysts. There are several types of combustion catalysts, such as metal nanoparticles, oxides, transition metal chelates, and catalytic mixtures based on them. Among catalysts, ferrocene and its compounds hold a special place. They are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their superior microscopic homogeneity, proper ignitability of rocket fuel, and compatibility with organic binders. However, ferrocene compounds tend to migrate within the composite, leading to matrix degradation, reduced storage life, and shorter operational lifespan of the fuels. Polymeric ferrocene catalysts represent a new generation of catalysts that retain activity while exhibiting reduced migration tendencies. They have a polymeric structure in which the ferrocene group can be placed in the main or side chain. In this study, in addition to reviewing current knowledge on polymeric ferrocene combustion catalysts, synthesis methods and their application results were examined, as well as their migration in fuels compared to other catalysts. The conducted research demonstrated that polymeric ferrocene catalysts are synthesized through free-radical and graft polymerization, resulting in dendrimer-like polymers. Furthermore, the use of a hyperbranched polymeric ferrocene catalyst, compared to a ferrocene catalyst bound to a small molecular group, simultaneously reduced the migration rate by 90%. The iron content in the catalyst, the polymer's molecular weight, the placement of ferrocene in the polymer structure, and the degree of linearity of the polymeric structure are among the most important factors influencing the efficiency of these catalysts.

This article investigates the influence of the components of epoxy systems – curing agents, modifiers, and fillers – on the properties of epoxy resins, including the formation of materials exhibiting an electret state. The study examines three key aspects of epoxy composite formation: the type of curing agent, modifying additives, and fillers, as well as their impact on the structure and characteristics of the final material. It is demonstrated that curing agents determine the basic structure of the epoxy network, and the correct selection of a curing agent is essential to achieve the desired combination of mechanical and dielectric properties. By varying the type of curing agent and the curing conditions, it is possible to alter the gel fraction content. The uncrosslinked portion of the epoxy polymer can enable the orientation of dipolar groups or macromolecular segments under the influence of an external electric field, thereby inducing material polarization and yielding a chemoelectret with high electret performance. A high gel fraction content ensures the retention of the polarized state over extended storage (service) periods of the chemoelectret. Modifiers of the epoxy matrix serve for fine-tuning the properties. Increasing the modifier content in the composition alters the number of functional groups capable of polarization, which in turn affects their electret properties. Fillers are used to enhance the mechanical and functional (including electret) characteristics of epoxy compositions. It is shown that, for the creation of chemoelectrets capable of long-term charge retention, non-conductive fillers that do not form conductive pathways are preferable. Such fillers may act as charge traps while simultaneously increasing the strength of the polymer. To ensure long-term retention of the electret state, composite systems with minimal conductivity should be developed to prevent rapid charge dissipation. It may be assumed that, when creating an epoxy composite with a curing agent and a conductive filler (up to 5 vol.%), the dispersed particles act as sources of additional injected charge carriers, functioning even after the removal of the external electric field. It is concluded that the combination of epoxy resin with various curing agents, modifiers, and fillers enables the production of materials with tailored parameters. These materials can simultaneously serve as load-bearing structures and protective coatings, which is particularly relevant for modern construction challenges. Further research in the field of epoxy chemoelectrets will expand the application boundaries of these materials in construction.

This paper presents new approaches of reusing fly ash generated in thermal power plant in the manufacturing of cellular concrete. Therefore, the research novelty is to make a meaningful utilization of fly ash as a binder to improve cellular concrete properties. The study has showed that fly ash has pozzolana properties which can boost up mechanical strength, thermal insulation and durability of cellular concrete, which may lead to obtain high quality final product in comparison with traditional building materials. Moreover, utilization of fly ash facilitates both reduction of heat conductivity and reduction of concrete density. This properties make cellular concrete resistant to heat transfer. Physical, mechanical and thermal tests have been carried out during research. The study of type of dependence between cellular concrete durability and its mix design has a valuable practical importance since it supports to reach maximum durability in lightly consumption of binder. We may conclude that the utilization of fly ash in the amount of 295 kg/m3, while the cellular concrete density is equal to 600 kg/m3, allows to solve a number of problems such as damaging of human health and environment pollution and to develop energy efficient cellular concrete. The research included the results of cellular concrete mix flowability, density, moisture, strength properties and concrete grade equal to B2,5-B3,5 with a density of porous ash concrete equal to 600 kg/m³. The natural wollastonite was utilized in this research as a reinforcing material to improve the tensile stregnth of cellular concrete.