Science & technology | Biocement

Adding bacteria can make concrete greener

They offer ways to produce cement without releasing carbon dioxide

|Fort Collins, Colorado

Concrete is one of the world’s most important materials. But making the cement that binds it generates about 8% of anthropogenic carbon-dioxide emissions.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Building with bacteria”

Frozen out

From the November 26th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition
A string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house

Satellites are polluting the stratosphere

And forthcoming mega-constellations will exacerbate the problem

An illustration of hands and arms going through a nest of lines.

AI models are dreaming up the materials of the future

Better batteries, cleaner bioplastics and more powerful semiconductors await


Colossal woolly mouse

Mice have been genetically engineered to look like mammoths

They are small and tuskless, but extremely fluffy


Is posh moisturiser worth the money?

Don’t break the bank

How artificial intelligence can make board games better

It can iron out glitches in the rules before they go on the market

The skyrocketing demand for minerals will require new technologies

Flexible drills, distributed power systems and, of course, artificial intelligence