Cyanobacteria as master builders: customized materials of the future

Focus topic:	Resource efficiency
Type of funding:	Project funding programmes
Programme:	CZS Wildcard
Funded institution:	Hochschule Kaiserslautern

Research is being carried out into the potential of the calcifying properties of algae for various industrial applications, for example for the development of multiplying concrete or the development of calcium-containing minerals as alternative coatings for solar cells.

Goals

In view of climate change and the industry's transition to greater sustainability, the biotechnological use of algae offers a promising alternative to bacteria. Cyanobacteria - a special group of algae - are characterized by their photosynthetic and CO2-binding properties.

In the research project "Cyanobacteria as master builders", previously unknown species of algae are used, which form solid, crystalline shell structures of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in their natural habitat. Biological cementation is enhanced by bonding with the algae's mucilage, which in combination offers great potential for the production of novel materials using biotechnological processes.

The interdisciplinary team of phycologists (algae researchers), civil engineers (Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences), natural product analysts (DLR; Weincampus Neustadt) and soil scientists (Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover) has therefore set itself the goal of utilizing the lime-embedding properties of these algae to produce hybrid materials such as living concrete.