Environmentally friendly cement inspired by marine worms
Bioinspired cement
Low-carbon building materials are urgently needed due to the high energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with traditional cement and concrete-based construction materials.
To address this, scientists and engineers have turned to various types of binders, such as geopolymers, resins, and high-pressure-induced adhesives, in an attempt to replace at least some of the cement used to produce construction materials.
Xuetao Xu and colleagues from the Institute of Technical Physics and Chemistry in China believe that, compared to these more researched binders, natural-based adhesives are more promising due to the renewability and ecological nature of biological resources.
They found their inspiration from the sandcastle worms (Phragmatopoma californica), a reef-building marine polychaete worm. They construct 'sandcastles' as their nests along the coast using a natural adhesive they secrete to bond various grains, such as sand and bits of shells.
The natural adhesive contains cationic proteins and anionic proteins, allowing it to firmly bond the grains together.
By mimicking the adhesive manufacturing process of sandcastle worms, the researchers were able to manufacture low-carbon construction materials with excellent mechanical performance. Using biopolymer adhesives with opposite charges, these natural-based, low-carbon construction materials can be produced at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure using various grains, from concrete slag to sea sand and even desert sand, which is abundant but unsuitable for traditional cement-based concrete production.
Emission-free and recyclable
Using the new bioinspired cement, in addition to reducing emissions during construction, once the buildings reach the end of their useful life, all the materials can be naturally recycled.
"The [samples] prepared exhibit excellent compressive strength up to the criteria of cement-based construction materials, recyclability by hydration, and weathering resistance property. Our results provide a promising pathway to expedite the next-generation construction industry with limited energy consumption and carbon emissions," wrote the team."
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Source: Inovação Tecnológica
