How could a Biocement-producing machine look like?
After figuring out our way of producing Biocement, we set up the necessary equipment. First, bacteria Sporosarcina Pasteurii is cultivated in a small container of nutrient medium. Afterwards, the bacterial solution is mixed with sand and poured in a perforated mould. The filled formwork is placed in a large tank of cementation solution, containing urea and calcium. Additionally, this second solution gets pumped through the mould. Here it causes the production of calcium carbonate which finally binds the grains of sand together. After pumping fresh solution through the formwork for several days, the sand is transformed to Biocement and can be removed from the mould. The tiny holes all over the formwork ensure a homogeneous cementation process which allows us to realize complex geometric shapes.