You may not believe it but future buildings will be urine

Researchers are investigating the use of human urine to build future buildings. This innovative approach can change the face of future cities.

In the latest scientific news, German scientists have succeeded in producing a bio -concrete using urine. This achievement is an important step towards a project whose main purpose is to a fundamental change in sustainable construction through the production of building materials using waste materials.

Wait for future buildings of urine

Researchers at the Institute of Style and Conceptual Design (Ilek) of the University of Stuttgart have used a method called microbial bio -bioevism in which the bacteria convert the urea in the urine into calcium carbonate crystals.

These circular crystals, with their radial grooves and smooth surfaces, bond the sand particles together, thereby creating an environmental-friendly bio-bio-bioener that is very similar to natural sand in terms of chemicals.

The project, called “Simbioze”, began when the researchers identified the urine as a rich but unused source. This was an incentive for them to examine the microbial biological method as a sustainable alternative to concrete production.

While concrete is still recognized as the world’s most consumed building material with almost 4 billion tonnes annually, its high environmental cost has led the construction industry to search for more sustainable building materials.

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Cement production, which is the main component of concrete, requires heating limestone to about 1450 ° C. This process consumes significant amounts of energy and leads to a significant emission of greenhouse gases.

In order to counter this environmental challenge, the Ilek Research Group has developed biological concrete (bio-tetan) as a promising alternative. This concrete is produced through the process of bio -mineralization; A process in which living things produce inorganic material through chemical reactions.

“We mix a bacterium -containing powder with sand, put it in the mold, and then wash it with calcium -rich urine during a three -day automatic process,” says one researcher. “The decomposition of urea by bacteria, along with the addition of calcium to the urine, causes calcium carbonate crystals.”

This process converts the sand mixture into a solid bio-tone and ultimately produces a solid material that is chemically similar to the natural limestone sand. According to the researchers, when urea was used with technical grade, the bio-Bethen was able to achieve compressive strength of more than 50 MPa (MPA), which makes it dramatically stronger than previous bio-minerals.

Experiments performed with artificial urine showed 20 MPa resistance, while the use of real human urine due to reduced bacterial activity during the process led to a resistance of about 5 MPa. Researchers plan to increase this amount again and target the 30 to 40 megapacca resistance, which will be enough to build up to three floors.

In order to measure the performance of this method in real conditions, researchers intend to set up a test unit at Stuttgart Airport. This unit processes the urine collected from the high-end public places and converts it to Bio-Bethan. The project is a prominent example of sustainable urban infrastructure.

This study is published in the journal NPJ MATERIALS STAINTABILITY.