Scientists have discovered a cool new way to make building materials stronger and more eco-friendly, and it involves using tiny living organisms!
In a paper by Research Directions: Biodesign Technology, researchers talked about adding bacterial cells to sand, which is a common building material.
This method is part of a bigger idea called biodesign.
The goal of biodesign is to mix biology with building and construction to create greener buildings.
So, why bacteria? Well, there’s a special type of bacteria called cyanobacteria. What’s cool about them is they can solidify things like CO2 and change their surroundings.
By adding these bacteria to building materials, we can create construction materials that are not just stronger, but also more environmentally friendly.
Here’s a bit more on how they did it:
The researchers combined two things: 1) dropping tiny amounts of bacteria into a mix and 2) using robots to deposit a mix of sand and other materials. As the bacteria grew in the sand mixture, it started a process that used light from the sun and turned CO2 into a solid substance called calcium carbonate. This made the sand mixture much stronger!
But how did the researchers know this was working? They used special tools to measure how much the bacteria were growing and how active they were.
The research team came from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Israel. Two important people from the study, Asst. Prof. Shany Barath and Ph.D. student Perla Armaly, shared more about why this research is so exciting.
They said that the way they mixed bacteria with building materials could help reduce the amount of CO2 in the air. Remember, too much CO2 is one reason why our planet is getting warmer. So, if we can build things in a way that takes CO2 out of the air, that’s a big win for everyone!
The researchers hope that their work will make other scientists and builders think about working together. After all, combining different fields like biology and construction can lead to amazing discoveries.
In simple words, we’re looking at a future where buildings might be made using bacteria. This not only makes them stronger but can also help our planet by using up some of the extra CO2. It’s a clever idea that could change the way we think about construction.
Cool, right?
The study was published by Research Directions: Biotechnology Design.
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