Bio-Manufactured Bricks Are Made at Room Temperature, From Bacteria, Sand and Urine
Bricks Made From Bacteria, Sand and Urine This montage shows how biomanufactured bricks are made. An American architecture professor in the United Arab Emirates invented a brick-making method that uses sand, bacteria and urea. Dexigner An American architecture professor in Abu Dhabi has come up with a new generation of sustainable bricks -- grown by bacteria using sand, calcium chloride, and pee. Rather than being fired in a kiln, the bricks are formed at room temperature, according to Metropolis Magazine, which honored the invention with a Next Generation Design award. There's still some work to be done, because the bricks can be poisonous to groundwater. But the concept is simple enough. The bricks are made in a process called microbial-induced calcite precipitation, or MICP. In a chain of chemical reactions, the microbes on sand are joined together like glue. The resulting brick looks like sandstone, but is as strong as clay-fired brick...