Biocement is a kind of renewable cement that uses bacteria to create a hardening reaction that binds soil into a solid block.

The NTU scientists have now created biocement from two common waste materials: industrial carbide sludge and urea (from mammalian urine).

They devised a method for forming a hard solid, or precipitate, from the interaction of urea with calcium ions in industrial carbide sludge. When this reaction occurs in soil, the precipitate binds soil particles together and fills gaps between them, resulting in a compact mass of soil. This produces a biocement block that is strong, durable, and less permeable.

The research team says that if biocement production could be scaled to the levels of traditional cement-making, the overall cost of its production compared to that of conventional cement would be lower, which would make biocement both greener and cheaper alternative to cement.

The NTU scientists’ research supports the NTU 2025 strategic plan which aims to address some of humanity’s grand challenges, including mitigating human impact on the environment through advancing research and development in sustainability.

According to scitechdaily.com