Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Bio-based materials are also being used to develop a new ally for sustainable construction on Earth. Dr. Anna Sandak is an associate professor at the University of Primorska, in Koper, Slovenia, and deputy director and head of the materials department at the Slovenian InnoRenew Centre of Excellence. She is an expert in materials science with a special focus on wood.
InnoRenew was established in 2017 with the help of the E.U, and additional international and national funding to build on Slovenia's strengths in forestry and wood research. The goal was to investigate innovative renewable materials for sustainable building.
In 2022, Sandak and her InnoRenew research team were awarded a five-year EU grant to further develop a bio-active living coating system for use in the construction industry. They are developing a “live” biofilm which will be able to protect various built surfaces, including concrete, plastic and metal. The purpose of this living skin is to protect construction materials and make buildings more resilient and sustainable. By using living organisms, researchers are creating new functionalities that cannot be found in conventional materials. Sandak said, “Instead of using synthetic chemicals, biocides and mineral oils that are not always environmentally friendly, we are focusing on developing natural solutions.”
Sandak continued, “We are adding a new dimension to materials that has not existed before—life. In nature, cells have many fantastic properties which are very difficult and costly to achieve in synthetic materials. Living materials are more environmentally friendly, they can self-heal, have the potential to clean air and come at a lower cost. They have a huge potential, grow fantastically, have a high survival rate and don't need many nutrients. Fungi are fun.” Like the AM-IMATE project, Sandak's team works primarily with fungi.
Fungi can already be found on construction sites but are usually not desirable because they can damage materials. However, Sandak's team works with a specific fungus that isn't harmful and doesn't degrade materials. She said, “We are using the “good guys” to stop the “bad guys” from spreading.”
To ensure their research makes it to practice, the scientists are creating a biocoating that is not only practical but also visually appealing. They are currently testing it on a variety of materials and working on adding different colors. “Because aesthetics is important in architecture.” The resulting product is designed to be a water-based coating that can be sprayed, brushed or rolled onto a wide range of surfaces.
The ARCHI-SKIN project will run until 2027. According to Sandak, the research is progressing quite rapidly. It won't be too long before their coating can be applied to the first buildings. She added that “I believe it will be possible to use our solution within the next decade.”
Both projects are yielding valuable fundamental knowledge about microorganisms. However, as both project coordinators say, the main outcome of the research should be real-life applications.
Sandak explains that “We want to make our world a better place. I believe we will definitely start to see many more applications for bio-based materials, such as in buildings and the built environment, as well as consumer products. As our understanding of these materials develops, more and more applications will follow.”