{"id":13614,"date":"2023-01-29T17:17:11","date_gmt":"2023-01-29T22:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/?p=13614"},"modified":"2023-01-29T17:17:12","modified_gmt":"2023-01-29T22:17:12","slug":"prometheus-materials-uses-algae-based-cement-to-make-masonry-blocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/2023\/01\/29\/prometheus-materials-uses-algae-based-cement-to-make-masonry-blocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Prometheus Materials uses algae-based cement to make masonry blocks<\/a>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Colorado-based Prometheus Materials has developed\u00a0masonry blocks from a\u00a0low-carbon\u00a0cement-like material grown from micro-algae. The blocks, which meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, were made using an organic cement-like material grown in\u00a0bioreactors\u00a0that reproduces itself in ways similar to coral (Dreith, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Coral reefs, shells, and even the limestone we use to produce cement today show us that nature has already figured out how to bind minerals together in a strong, clever, and efficient way,” said Prometheus Materials co-founder Wil V Srubar III (Dreith, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By working with nature to use existing microalgae to bind minerals and other materials together to create new types of sustainable bio-composite building materials, we can eliminate most, if not all, of the carbon emissions associated with traditional concrete-based building materials.” (Dreith, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blocks were created by mixing this bio-cement with aggregate to create a low-carbon building material with mechanical, physical and thermal properties comparable to Portland cement-based concrete (Dreith, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bio-cement could be mass-produced as an alternative to Portland cement, which is a huge source of carbon emissions as it relies on clinker made from crushed and burned limestone. The process separates the calcium, which is a key ingredient in cement, from the carbon, which is released into the atmosphere. The material was first developed by University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) professors in response to a call from the US Department of Defense to envision sustainable materials.\u00a0Prometheus Materials<\/a>\u00a0was established in 2021 to make the material available for public use with\u00a0masonry blocks being the first application (Dreith, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is essential to continue making alternative materials to fossil fuel-derived materials profitable and commercialized. Bio-cement is an interesting proposal. It is in advanced development because it is currently in commercial production. Visually the bricks have a polished concrete-like finish, which makes them visually appealing. The claim that bio-cement can become or is a material comparable in characteristics to Portland cement, therefore, becomes a real alternative for the construction sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dreith, B. (2022, June 7). Som-backed prometheus materials turns algae-like composite into masonry blocks<\/em>. Dezeen. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2022\/06\/07\/prometheus-biocomposite-cement-blocks\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Colorado-based Prometheus Materials has developed\u00a0masonry blocks from a\u00a0low-carbon\u00a0cement-like material grown from micro-algae. The blocks, which meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, were made using an organic cement-like material grown in\u00a0bioreactors\u00a0that reproduces itself in ways similar to coral (Dreith, 2022). “Coral reefs, shells, and even the limestone we use to produce cement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":13616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,33],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13614","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-focus","8":"category-focus-featured"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13614"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13625,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13614\/revisions\/13625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}