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Biobricks are grown like corals, ready in five days without fossil fuel and are already being tested in real constructions
What if the bricks of a house didn’t need to be burned in kilns at over a thousand degrees, but simply grew on their own on a laboratory bench? It seems impossible, but it is exactly what scientists can already do.
Using trillions of bacteria, researchers have developed bricks that are grown — not manufactured. The process works in a similar way to how corals form on the ocean floor.
How bacteria build a brick
The process begins with common sand, placed in molds shaped like blocks.
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Next, a liquid solution full of microorganisms is injected into the molds.
The bacteria feed on urea, a substance found in urine, and by digesting it, they produce calcium carbonate.
Calcium carbonate is the same material that forms shells and corals.
It acts as a natural cement that binds the grains of sand together.
In about five days, the block is ready, without a furnace, without fossil fuel, without CO2 emissions.
Bricks that absorb carbon instead of emitting
The cement industry is one of the most polluting on the planet. The production of conventional cement accounts for about 8% of all global CO2 emissions.
Biobricks do the opposite. During the curing process, the bacteria capture carbon from the environment and incorporate it into the structure of the block.
The result is a negative carbon material; it removes more CO2 than it generates to be produced.
In addition, there is a version made with microalgae that uses photosynthesis to absorb even more CO2 during growth.
Walls that self-repair
Perhaps the most surprising feature is the ability to self-repair.
When a crack of up to 1 millimeter appears in the wall, the bacteria that are still alive inside the material spring into action.
They produce more calcium carbonate and seal the fissure in about 21 days, without any human intervention.
Imagine never having to call a mason to fix a crack in the wall again.
When will it reach common construction
The American company bioMASON is one of the leaders in this technology and is already producing blocks on a pilot scale.
In Brazil, researchers from public universities are also studying biocement, but still in the laboratory phase.
The cost is still higher than that of conventional bricks, and large-scale production needs to be proven.
But since cement is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, any alternative that can reduce this number deserves attention, especially one that grows on its own, absorbs CO2, and can repair itself.
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