One of those trying to drum up greater support for such alternative cements is Ginger Krieg Dosier, co-founder and CEO of BioMason - a start-up in North Carolina that uses trillions of bacteria to grow bio-concrete bricks. The technique, which involves placing sand in moulds and injecting it with microorganisms, initiates a process similar to the one that creates coral.
"I have a long fascination with marine cements and structures," explains Ms Krieg Dosier, a trained architect who was surprised to find no real green alternatives to bricks and masonry when she began research at an architectural firm more than 10 years ago.
The discovery led her to create her own solution, which, after years of development, now takes only four days. It happens at room temperature, without the need for fossil fuels or calcination - two of the main sources of the cement industry's CO2 emissions.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46455844
This is really cool.
ReplyDeleteIt is cool. The positives are obvious, and great - so I'll just point out some negatives.
ReplyDeleteBricks cannot replace molded construction in a lot of cases (or can but with massive dimensions increase). Any construction that aimes to replace concrete must be extremely quick - concrete construction can be made, and carry weight, in hours - depending on how little time one has. The replacement should be usable in wide range of temperatures (-25°C up to 40°C), and should be available worldwide for pennies - cement is dirt cheep.
It's the holy grail of every green civil engineer, but it's not there yet. We'll be happy to use it once it shows up, but I'm not holding my breath.