A potentially game-changing construction material under development at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology utilizes microorganisms, rather than cement, to bind sand particles together, while also absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming.

According to the UN Environment Program, the construction industry accounts for a whopping 37 percent of global warming emissions.

The Technion’s interdisciplinary project CyanoGems utilizes microorganisms that photosynthesize, meaning they use sunlight to create food from carbon dioxide and water. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and oxygen is emitted.

In the case of the innovative building material, produced by a 3D robot printer and currently on display at the Triennale Milano museum in Italy, the microorganisms not only remove atmospheric carbon as they photosynthesize; they form communities into what is known as biofilm — a slimy, sticky, surface — and they create calcium carbonate, which in nature is used to create materials such as........

© The Times of Israel