SBIR Phase I: Efficacy of scaled up optimized urease producing microorganisms for manufacturing biocement binders towards a viable masonry construction material

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将测试大量微生物的功效，并使用实验室规模验证的方法诱导砌体应用的胶结。巴氏芽孢杆菌是一种常见的非致病性土壤细菌，它有能力诱导形成一种生物水泥材料，将松散的骨料颗粒融合在一起。矿物的生长填补了聚集颗粒之间的空隙，将颗粒生物胶结在一起形成结构键，这一过程需要几天或更短的时间。所得材料的组成和物理性质与天然砂岩相似。传统的砌体制造依赖于昂贵的燃料来源来硬化最终产品，这些燃料占总制造成本的很大比例。在环境条件下，生物胶结作为一种将材料粘合到砌体单元中的方法，通过消除烧制最终产品的需要，具有成本优势。这项工作的目标包括延长微生物放大的基线发酵过程，测试细胞恢复的功效，以及测试全尺寸砌体产品的效率。本研究还将侧重于测试与大批量发酵和回收实践相结合的廉价工业培养基的工艺效果。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是展示了基于生物胶结的砖石单元（砖）优化生产过程的商业可行性。全球超过80%的建筑使用砌筑。砌体制造业在美国是一个价值240亿美元的行业。根据碳作战室的数据，全球每年生产1.23万亿块烧制砖，排放超过8亿吨的碳排放。由于环境保护署（EPA）出台了越来越多的法规，由于这些相关的排放，一些砖石公司不得不关闭或投资大量资金用于清洁生产方法。政府鼓励绿色建筑，加上对可持续性的关注日益增加（例如，建筑师等最终用户正在指定使用更可持续的材料），为采用“更绿色”的水泥材料创造了机会。这项研究的社会影响将包括显著减少碳排放和增加美国制造业就业机会。生物胶结也被研究用于土壤稳定和矿山回收。该项目将加强对这一过程的技术理解，将有助于建立商业可行性，并将产生额外的实际数据，包括耐久性和物理性能。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will test the efficacy of high-volume scaled microorganisms with the ability to induce cementation for masonry applications using methods proven at laboratory scale. Sporosarcina Pasteurii, a common non-pathogenic soil bacterium, has the ability to induce the creation of a biocement material, fusing loose grains of aggregate. Mineral growth fills gaps between the aggregate grains, biocementing the particles together in a structural bond, a process that takes a few days or less. The resulting material has a composition and demonstrates physical properties similar to natural sandstone. Traditional masonry manufacturing is reliant upon expensive fuel sources for hardening the final product, and these represent a large percentage of total manufacturing costs. Biocementation at ambient conditions as a method for binding material into masonry units allows a cost advantage by eliminating the need for firing the final product. The objectives of this effort include an extension of the baseline fermentation process for microorganism scale-up, testing of the efficacy of cell recovery, and efficiacy testing of the full-scale masonry product. This research will also focus on testing the process efficacy with inexpensive industrial media in conjunction with high-volume fermentation and recovery practices. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the demonstration of the commercial viability of an optimized production process for masonry units (bricks) based on biocementation. Over 80% of global construction uses masonry. Masonry manufacturing is a $24 billion business in the US. According to the Carbon War Room, 1.23 trillion fired bricks are manufactured globally each year, emitting over 800 million tons of carbon emissions. Due to increased regulations introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several masonry companies have had to either shut down or invest significant sums in cleaner production methods due to these associated emissions. Government incentives for green construction, compounded with increasing sustainability concerns - for example, end users such as architects, are specifying the use of more sustainable materials - have created an opportunity for the adoption of "greener" cementitious materials. The societal impacts of this research will include a significant reduction of carbon emissions and the addition of manufacturing jobs in the US. Biocementation has also been investigated for use in soil stabilization and mine recovery. This project will enhance the technological understanding of this process, will help to establish commercial viability, and will generate additional practical data including durability and physical performance.