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

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将测试大容量规模微生物的功效，这些微生物能够使用实验室规模证明的方法诱导砌体应用的胶结作用。巴氏孢子八叠球菌是一种常见的非致病性土壤细菌，具有诱导产生生物水泥材料的能力，使松散的聚集体颗粒融合。矿物生长填充了骨料颗粒之间的空隙，将颗粒生物胶结在一起形成结构结合，这一过程只需几天或更短时间。由此产生的材料具有与天然砂岩相似的成分和物理特性。传统的砌体制造依赖于昂贵的燃料源来硬化最终产品，并且这些燃料源占总制造成本的很大比例。 在环境条件下的生物水泥作为将材料粘合成砖石单元的方法，通过消除对烧制最终产品的需要而具有成本优势。 这项工作的目标包括微生物规模扩大的基线发酵工艺的扩展，细胞回收的功效测试，以及全规模砌体产品的效率测试。 这项研究还将侧重于测试与廉价的工业介质结合高容量发酵和回收实践的过程的有效性。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是证明了基于生物胶结的砌体单元（砖）的优化生产工艺的商业可行性。 全球超过80%的建筑使用砖石结构。Massimo制造业在美国是一项价值240亿美元的业务。根据碳战争室的数据，全球每年生产1.23万亿块烧结砖，排放超过8亿吨碳排放。 由于环境保护局（EPA）引入的法规增加，由于这些相关的排放，一些砌体公司不得不关闭或投资大量资金用于清洁生产方法。政府对绿色建筑的激励措施，加上对可持续性的日益关注-例如，建筑师等最终用户正在规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的制造业就业机会。还研究了生物胶结在土壤稳定和矿山恢复中的应用。该项目将提高对这一过程的技术理解，将有助于建立商业可行性，并将产生更多的实际数据，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.