Eco-Cement, a vast European research programme, is aimed at developing a green mortar from bacteria.
The first stage sees the revitalisation of the bacteria in a mixture of urea and nutritional substances at a constant temperature of around 30°C. The revitalised bacteria are then blended with sand, industrial cement waste and ashes from rice husks.
Laura Sánchez Alonso, a coordinator of the Eco-Cement project, states that the raw materials are essentially waste.
A main aim is to reduce CO2 emissions, since it is said that the production of cement accounts for 5% of global emissions.
The first tests have been conclusive and the goal now is to make the cement perform better.
