In order to achieve purifying waterIn this way, a quality of the seaweed was exploited: the so-called bioremediationThe tiles are made of microalgae, i.e. their ability to return an environment to its natural state by metabolising or filtering out harmful products. Malik decided to use both microalgae and seaweed to create his tiles after carrying out laboratory tests and determining the ideal ratio. However, the components for making the tiles are not the only element coming from nature. In addition to the algae, while carrying out computer simulations, they found that the optimal structure was very similar to that of the leaves of a plant, which is characterised by the arrangement of its ribs, optimised for the distribution of water and nutrients. The final tiles thus bear some resemblance to the fossil of a prehistoric plant. The different types of ribs incorporated in these sustainable "fossils" allow various types of heavy metals to be filtered out.
This technology projectwhich is part of the Bio-Integrated Design Lab (Bio-Integrated Design Laboratory) at the Bartlett School is still in the process of being perfected. At present, the durability of these walls is still water purifiers Malik and the rest of his team are looking at ways to improve its longevity and introduce a warning system when the structure begins to lose its decontaminating qualities. The medium-term goal of the project is to cleaning the water is to provide rural communities in India with tools that enable them to achieve self-sufficiency without major investments in infrastructure. Renewable energies, such as photovoltaic panels, also have an important role to play in this regard.
