Researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) have developed the world's first bio-brick made from human urine.
According to a release from the University of Cape Town, bio-bricks are created through a natural process technically called microbial carbonate precipitation.
It's not unlike the way seashells form, explains Dr Dyllon Randall, Lambert's supervisor and senior lecturer in Water Quality Engineering. The loose sand is colonised with urease-producing bacteria. An enzyme, urease breaks down urea in urine while producing calcium carbonate through a complex chemical reaction. This process cements the sand into either a solid column, or in this case and for the first time, a rectangular building brick.
A statement from the University of Cape Town says this development is good news for the environment and global warming, as the bio-bricks are made in moulds at room temperature, whereas normal brick making is baked at temperatures that produce large amounts of carbon dioxide.
The concept of using urea to create bricks was tried in the US a few years ago with synthetic solutions, but this bio-brick uses real human urine for the first time.
