Breathing Minerals
Developing carbon capture materials informed by microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) for future circular product design
This PhD research is situated at the intersection of biodesign and circular product design and is inscribed in the context of the circular bio-economy. This inquiry aims to explore the potential of biomineralisation, specifically microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) with cyanobacteria, to develop carbon capture circular biomaterials for product design. Biomineralisation is a natural process by which living organisms produce inorganic materials.
The international Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 to limit global warming below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (UNFCCC), aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 (WMO, 2018). Industry significantly contributes to CO2emissions, stemming from industrial processes, product use, and waste (IPCC, 2022). The UK has introduced an industrial decarbonisation strategy to transform manufacturing processes and expand carbon capture technologies (HMG, 2021). Given the urgency to reduce CO2 emissions from industries, this research investigates MICP as a new biofabrication method for carbon capture biomaterial for circular product design.
MICP has been widely explored as a sustainable technology in engineering due to its capacity for durable materials fabrication. However, there is a lack of research into photosynthetic MICP via cyanobacteria, which has the potential for CO2 sequestration while constructing materials. Moreover, existing research focuses on larger-scale engineering applications, with limited explorations for smaller-scale uses relevant to product design. Therefore, this research seeks to optimise MICP to develop carbon capture materials suitable for future circular product design with a focus on cyanobacterial strains, utilising waste aggregates as feedstock to align with circular economy principles.
