Further information

Houses of the future could be partially built with bacteria. It sounds like science fiction but spanish researchers are working towards making this a concrete reality. It starts with a common type of soil bacterium being revitalised in a mixture of urea and nutrients at a constant temperature, of around 30 degrees Celsius. Piero Tiano told euronews how it works: "Inside this mix, bacteria starts to develop; they basically grow in number. The bacteria has to reach a certain quantity in order to make cement. After around three hours of fermentation, our mix is ready for use". The scientists then add the revitalised bacteria to a mix of sand, industrial cement waste and the ash of rice husks. Cement manufacturing accounts for some five percent of global carbon emissions, researchers say. This project aims to prove that a greener, ecologically friendly cement is possible. Whatever the final applications, researchers hope the new material could be a reality on European construction sites in less than a decade.

Further reading

http://www.euronews.com/2014/10/20/building-houses-with-bacteria/