Public events have been held throughout the month of March to present and disseminate the final results of the Alfiller, Geo4radón and Topacio projects. These three R&D projects, developed between 2018 and 2020, were selected by the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) in the CONECTAPEME 2018 competitive call. Due to the health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in all three cases they were carried out online, through telematic platforms.

The first of the events was held on 05/03/21 and showed the attendees the main results of the project “TOPACIO: Technologies to Optimize the Management of Infrastructures for Forest Fire Prevention” (Ref. IN852A 2018/37). In addition to the activities undertaken in 2020, the final version of the integrated infrastructure management system was presented, which, among other new features, monitors the vegetation condition associated with roads, with the ultimate aim of preventing forest fires. The presentation was completed with a video showing real cases of use, in which the management system was validated. The event was attended by representatives of the companies Conexiona, San2, Aeromedia and Extraco, accompanied by researchers from the University of Vigo (UVigo). Click on the following link to watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7np8L8PYp9Q

The presentation of the results of “ALFILLER: Value of the recovery filler obtained in asphalt plants for the development of cement-based eco-products” (Ref. IN852A 2018/39) took place on 12/03/21: in addition to the optimized dosages of new types of mortars and concrete that incorporate waste filler in their composition, the real-scale prototypes built for their validation were shown. The exhibition was completed with a video summary of the project, prepared by the Construction Group (gCONS) of the Higher Technical School of Civil Engineering of the University of A Coruña (UDC), in collaboration with the companies Prefhorvisa, Galaicontrol, Renga Enerxía and Extraco. Click on the following link to watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZcO47JfpEk

The last event, related to “GEO4RADÓN: Forecasting and improvement of geothermal heating and cooling systems and analysis of the influence of soundings on radon gas diffusion” (Ref. IN852A 2018/38), was held on 17/03/21. Representatives of the companies Conexiona, Galaicontrol, Renga Enerxía, Megodeza and Extraco presented the fully completed air conditioning system developed in this project, with the support of the Refrigeration in Thermal Engineering Group (REIT) of the University of Vigo (UVigo). The final prototype uses the geothermal energy of the ground, and incorporates aerothermal and solar thermal energy, combining different types of renewable energies in a single device. Its design incorporates a high-power heat pump with enhanced features, capable of mobilizing these “clean” energies, optimizing the use of one type of energy over another and making it possible to recharge the collection wells depending on their availability and efficiency over time.

GEO4RADÓN included a pioneering study on the concentration and diffusion of radon gas in geothermal wells. This study analyzed the influence of aspects such as the location of the wells, the type of drilling and the filling materials used in their construction, establishing different proposals for the reduction of radon gas.

These events mark the end of the three R&D projects led by EXTRACO, which were co-financed by the Galician Innovation Agency-Department of Economy, Employment, and Industry of the Regional Government of Galicia, in the CONECTAPEME 2018 competitive call, with the support of ERDF funds from the European Union.