Solar energy, electricity, and hydrogen combustion are excellent alternatives for ‘dirty’ fossil fuels, although some believe there’s another abundantly available substitute – combustible ice.
Chinese architects received an Honorable Mention at the 2020 eVolo Skyscraper Competition for their ‘Drilling Water-Scraper‘ conceptual architectural design. The water-scraper would be placed in an area with the highest concentration of combustible ice and marine waste, solving energy and environmental problems to the greatest extent in one design.
Combustible ice is located in large quantities at the bottom of our oceans and is produced when natural gas and water get frozen together. This white snow-like mass (also known as flammable ice or methane hydrate) burns to release methane and water as by-products. The designers are confident that the abundance could offset the carbon crisis by shifting us to the next best option.
The Drilling Water-Scraper extends downward to the ocean floor, mining it for combustible ice, while the upper half collects plastic waste from the ocean, effectively cleaning it. The scraper features two main moving lines – the downward materials and the upward energy. The energy tower transforms the plastic waste into 3D printing materials – printing the building and energy tank along down the core cylinder, turning it into a building with growth.
Mined ice is pressurized and liquified before it’s stored in the scraper’s energy tanks. Then, cargo ships collect this energy and bring it to the cities, becoming the city’s new clean energy.
