The Dirty Little Secret of Concrete. Can Biology Help?

Concrete and stone can be used for many different things, such as building a retaining wall, paving a driveway or sidewalk, making a patio, or putting up a patio cover. You are asking all of the right questions if you are wondering which of these two common materials is going to be the best fit for the project that you are going to be working on next. Before choosing one course of action, it’s smart to think about all of the options. After all, every project uses different materials that help it look its best and last as long as possible. Stones are not made in a factory. Instead, it comes from a variety of natural resources and is taken out of the ground through a process that can take hundreds or even thousands of years. Because of this, stone pavers have a natural look and feel that makes them hard to ignore. Concrete is not made from things found in nature. Instead, it is made by mixing together a number of different raw materials in a factory. The components of aggregate, cement, pigments, and dye that go into making concrete are mixed together.

Unless you’re a special type of architectural nerd, you probably don’t think about concrete very much. The ancient construction materials are uninspiring since they are drab, heavy, and grey. It is used to build the biggest dams, the ugliest roads, and the foundations for most homes. However, care should be taken with concrete because of the quick rate at which it damages the soil.

With the exception of water, concrete is utilized more than any other substance on the planet. It may be found in vast quantities in the majority of human habitations. Because billions of people are no longer living in extreme poverty, the need for concrete is at an all-time high. China poured more fresh concrete in the three years between 2011 and 2013 than the United States did in the preceding century.

This level of concrete usage negatively affects the natural environment. For its production, billions of tons of limestone are burnt in enormous coal-powered furnaces. This produces significant carbon dioxide emissions. In only one phase of this horrible process, we are responsible for almost the same amount of carbon pollution as the extraction of beneficial resources. Modern concrete production is one of the most damaging and harmful industries to the planet’s ecosystems. Ginger Krieg Dosier, who manages the company Biomason out of North Carolina, would want to see this modified. Biomason has spent the past decade investigating whether microorganisms may be used to produce concrete bricks. The company’s current products do not emit any carbon dioxide during production, and their quality is comparable to or even superior to that of conventional concrete bricks. Additionally, they are available in a range of colors.

In its most fundamental form, concrete is made by mixing water, rock dust, and a material known as cement. The manufacture of cement is presently the source of environmental difficulties. This grey powder is responsible for four times as much CO2 emissions annually as the whole global aviation industry. According to Krieg Dosier, Biomason’s technology for producing bio-inspired cement “treats the illness, not just the symptoms.”

They do not utilize any type of limestone burning in their process. Instead, millions of live bacteria are mixed with broken rock and simple carbon and nitrogen-containing powders. The material is subsequently compressed into brick form. The substance is mixed with water before being pressed into brick molds. Three days of curing at ambient temperature is all that is required to produce concrete. But just how does that work? Microbes have always existed in some form or another in concrete. turns out. Cement is traditionally produced by burning limestone, which is mostly formed of the petrified remains of microorganisms that formerly existed very long ago.

In the same way that many microorganisms that are still alive today are able to make durable inorganic objects from the basic components they discover in their environment, so too were those in the ocean able to do so. The approach created by Biomason is founded on a remarkable natural phenomenon known as biomineralization.

In 2015, the very first bricks produced by Biomason were put on a test patio in the San Francisco area. Krieg Dosier and her crew have made many visits back to the places over the years to evaluate the condition of the artifacts they have created. She tells us to try to get as much information as we can, and we do a lot of tests in the lab to make sure the products are durable. However, there is no substitute for taking an exam in the real world. According to her, classic concrete bricks typically exhibit fractures as they deteriorate. We have not discovered any defects in any of our goods.

She not only makes bricks that can bear pressure but also other items. Biomason is doing extremely well because it recently got an extra $65 million in Series C investment. However, the  Krieg Dossier appears to have been prepared over the telephone.

The firm and H&M Group, the parent company of the internationally renowned apparel brand, have reached a substantial deal. H&M has created a variety of substantial environmental improvement initiatives. One of these proposals involves installing Biomason’s eco-friendly cement flooring in all newly constructed retail sites.

She feels confident in the development potential of her organization. “Over the past two years and eight months, there has been substantial demand.” Construction workers are exerting considerable effort to support decarbonization. Our first building in Europe is located in Denmark, and all of our Nordic clients are pleased with it.

On Biomason’s list of things to do next is to switch from making pre-made bricks to making ready-mix concrete, which is usually made on-site and moved in big trucks. Ready-mixed concrete is used approximately 85 percent of the time, according to some estimates. “It’s an area we need to get into,” says Krieg Dosier. Krieg Dosier is happy to see that more and more people are interested in the services her company provides. She feels that in order to stop the climate calamity, “we must be more conscientious, and we must change the materials we use.” We cannot afford to wait another two decades for this. Now is the moment for immediate action.