BIOMASONS GROW BRICKS FROM BACTERIA

Traditional bricks are fired in a kiln for days at a stretch which releases high levels of carbon dioxide and utilizes a lot of energy. An estimated 800 million tons of CO2 is emitted each year while manufacturing bricks which forms about 8 percent of total carbon emission globally. The bricks by Biomason solves this problem and brings the carbon footprint of bricks down by utilizing bacteria instead. All the materials required in the process are present in abundance. Prepared in ambient temperature, this process takes about five days and the result is bio bricks comparable to traditional bricks as far as cost and quality is concerned.

Biomason was established in the year 2012 by the joint efforts of architect turned scientist, Ginger Krieg Dosier and her husband, Michael. She studied architecture at the Auburn University and is a graduate from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. While working at an architectural firm in 2005, she was asked to research for some eco-friendly alternative building materials but she couldn’t find a replacement for brick and masonry which struck a chord. After that she relocated to North Carolina's Research Triangle Park to teach architecture at North Carolina State University. Driven by her passion for science and green construction, in 2009, she started her exploration to make masonry eco-friendly. Her rigorous efforts have finally paid off with the introduction of revolutionary bricks grown from sand and bacteria instead of the age old method of firing in kilns that greatly diminishes carbon emissions and energy consumption.

However, Dosier hasn’t received any specialized training in the field of science. Her knowledge in chemistry, biology and materials science comes from her parents and self-study. She based her research on biomimetic architecture with a firm belief and drew inspiration from corals. "I grew a deep love for coral," says Dosier. "I looked at how coral was able to make these incredible structural formations that could withstand water and erosion and began really researching how it was able to grow." At a TED event, she described her process as long and based on trial and error. She said, “It took years and many, many, many mistakes to be able to grow a strong, durable, full-scale brick,” she said. “I made mistakes and things went terribly wrong. For example, I made a brick that would hold its shape but would dissolve underwater – not good in areas with lots of rain.”

The substrate used for these bricks is sand as its naturally present in profusion. Then a “liquid cement” is prepared using bacteria that provides an environment for crystalisation process, nitrogen source, calcium source and water. "The ions are attracted to the bacterial cell walls, creating a calcium carbonate shell which causes particles to stick to each other," Dosier says. The solution is poured over sand in a mold and repeatedly added over five days until a solid material has formed. Bacteria eventually runs out of food and water and dies. The irrigation system is a closed loop that utilizes recycled water for the next batch to save water. "We can make bricks that glow in the dark, bricks that absorb pollution, bricks that change colour when wet," Dosier says.

The efforts of Biomason has been recognized globally. They won first place in the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Challenge. They are also the recipient of Metropolis magazine’s $10,000 Next Generation Design award in 2010. They also won the 2013 Postcode Lottery Green Challenge in 2013, which got the company a total of €500,000 ($700,000) for further development. The company procured a $1.5 million investment from angel firm Acorn Innovestments as part of a $3 million fundraising round.

Currently they are running a plant capable of producing 1,500 bricks per week in Durham, North Carolina. Soon they will be looking at expanding to a bigger number to cater the needs of the industry. They are working with teams in US as well as UAE to upsurge their work. They posess two licenses at present and hope to secure five more. Their next big step is is enabling customers to grow bricks on site. "We are looking at a powder or syrup that we can ship around the world," says Dosier. "You just add water." They are also ready to take on the cement manufacturers, an industry second only to fossil fuels for global carbon emissions. These bricks are expected to hit the market by 2017.