Feasibility study into methods for improving the scalability of MICP (Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation) for the production of Low carbon Precast Tiles and internal cladding systems

Cresco利用生物技术为建筑行业生产低碳镶板材料。2020年，石膏板占英国温室气体排放量的3.5%。我们开发可持续和循环的室内镶板产品替代品。我们采用细菌生物制造工艺，利用工业废料生产低碳生物复合材料。我们的材料是天然的防水和防火，耐磨，利用高百分比的废料（60-90%重量）。整个制造过程在室温下进行。与传统替代品相比，能够在不需要高能量加热过程的情况下进行制造，这是节省大部分碳的地方。由于细菌过程自然是负碳的，如果通过绿色能源链提供化学原料，甚至有可能实现负碳。这种材料在非结构内部嵌板应用中显示出巨大的前景，这将对建筑的隐含碳产生很大的影响。随着绿色建筑材料市场的不断增长（预计到2030年将达到9400亿美元），低碳现成的解决方案有望取得商业成功，如果我们要解决建筑材料制造造成的全球10%的二氧化碳排放问题，这是必不可少的。在过去的一年里，我们一直致力于优化镶板工艺，但市场障碍既不是需求，也不是材料性能，而是在成型阶段为商业可扩展性所需要的优化。Cresco有限公司和生活建筑研究小组（HBBE, Northumbria）将评估3种不同方法在成型过程中提高能源和资源效率的可行性。这将使企业能够决定选择哪个流程进行扩展，并通过后续更大的项目进一步开发。该项目将作为Cresco和HBBE之间的催化剂，帮助开发和交付一种新的、破坏性的可持续生物制造工艺，这将为实现可扩展的制造系统生产低碳生物复合材料板铺平道路。

Cresco uses biotechnology to manufacture low carbon panelling materials for the construction industry. In 2020 Gypsum plasterboard caused 3.5% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. We develop sustainable and circular alternatives to interior panelling products. Using a bacterial bio-manufacturing process, we produce low carbon bio-composites utilising industrial waste.Our material is naturally water and fire resistant, hard wearing, utilises high percentages of waste material (60-90% wt). The entire manufacturing process happens at room temperature. Being able to manufacture without the need of high energy heating processes is where the majority of the carbon savings occur compared to traditional alternatives. As the bacterial process is naturally carbon negative, it is even possible to go carbon negative if the chemical feedstock is supplied through green energy chains.The material shows great promise for non-structural internal panelling applications which would have a high impact on the embodied carbon of a building.With the growing green construction materials market (estimated $940 Billion by 2030), low carbon off the shelf solutions promise commercial success and are essential if we are to tackle the 10% of global CO2 emissions caused by the manufacture of construction materials.Having worked on optimising our process for panelling the past year, the market blocker is neither demand, nor material properties, but instead optimisation needed at the moulding stage for commercial scalability. Cresco Ltd. and the Living Construction Research Group (HBBE, Northumbria) will assess the feasibility of 3 different methods for improving the energy and resource efficiency during moulding. This will allow the business to make a decision around which process to select for scaling and develop further through a subsequent larger project. The project will act as a catalyst between Cresco and HBBE to aid the development and delivery of a new and disruptive sustainable biomanufacturing process which would pave the way for implementation of a scalable manufacturing system to produce low carbon bio-composite panels.