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The Boulder research team at the University of Colorado in the United States developed a living architectural prototype containing bacteria that photosynthesize. According to the announcement, some of the strength of concrete is attributed to carbonates formed during the hardening process. Since carbonate is contained in the shell of aquatic organisms, the idea of saving materials science based on knowledge of biology is drawing attention.
The research team focused on Synechococcus, a type of blue-green algae, as a bacterium that will photosynthesize. Cinecocaucus has the advantage of naturally generating carbonate without giving new carbon to produce calcium carbonate as a material by absorbing carbon dioxide in the air through photosynthesis.
The research team created a living architecture in which Cinecocaucus’ gelatin was mixed with cement and sand. This living material is calcified by the calcium carbonate produced by Cinecoccus, which is hardened to the same strength as mortar. In addition, in order to survive for more than 30 days in a living building in an environment with a humidity of 50% or more, a part of the living building can be divided and kneaded in new gelatin sand to increase the number of living structures. In addition, since Cinecoccus photosynthesizes in living buildings, it can recover carbon dioxide from the air.
In this study, one expert said that living structures need to be dried in order to be used like concrete because they have elasticity and strength, but in this process, Cinecocaucus, the core of the concept of living, dies. He pointed out that it cannot. It is said that this is an early study on an interesting material, saying that there is a lot of room for improvement, such as having to newly select bacteria that live longer even within the material after drying and solidification. Related information can be found here .
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