Get ready for gross. If you ever though that there were some nasty building materials, listen to this. One researcher just discovered a way to make bricks with pee. Yes, pee. Or, if you want to sound a bit more erudite and sophisticated, the bricks are made with urea.
Whether you call it one or the other doesn’t make a difference. What matters is what’s in the stuff. Would you believe that these bricks with urinary ingredients are incredibly sustainable? Urea is hydrogen-rich stuff, which has potential for biofuel of the future. When it comes to brick, the same properties that render it a potential biofuel make it an ingredient for a tough brick. And when combined with sand, active bacteria, and calcium chloride, the process that results is a microbial-induced calcite precipitation. Translation: a better brick.
The bacteria sticks the sand together like superglue, but it doesn’t need to be baked in the oven. One of the drawbacks of traditional bricks to eco-friendly builders is the fact that baking them requires tons of CO2 emissions. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to eliminate the baking, but still have strong bricks? These scientists may have found just that.
Note: We’ve also discussed bricks of poo, we’ve got you covered 