This isn’t just about storing carbon; it’s about being productive with it. We can now rethink how we design buildings, furniture, and surfaces in a low-carbon future.
In a world-first, researchers in Switzerland have shown that we can grow materials that not only capture CO₂, in the way that plants do, but form a stone-strong structure. This breakthrough turns the problem of carbon dioxide into a building block.
From Cyanobacteria to Concrete-Strength Materials
Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed what they call “photosynthetic living materials”: printable, 3D-structured gels infused with genetically resilient cyanobacteria that fix atmospheric CO₂ and lock it away in two forms. First, as biomass, the way trees do. Second, and more crucially, as solid calcium and magnesium carbonates — essentially limestone — that reinforce the structure from the inside out.
Over 400 days, the living material sequestered 26 mg of CO₂ per gram of hydrogel, with the majority stored in stable mineral form — making it potentially competitive with industrial mineralisation methods like concrete carbonation.
Why This Matters for the Built Environment
Most carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies rely on high concentrations of CO₂ and energy-intensive processes. By contrast, these living materials:
- Use ambient air, not exhaust stacks;
- Require only sunlight and seawater-mimicking conditions;
- Need no added urea or ammonia-producing chemicals (a drawback of older methods like ureolysis);
- Are printable, scalable, and structurally self-reinforcing.
This means they could be integrated into facades, coatings, or modular construction systems that not only store carbon passively but get stronger over time.
Designing with Biology in Mind
One elegant feature of the research is how digital design and additive manufacturing were used to support bacterial life inside the material. Lattice structures mimicking coral and bone were printed to ensure light penetration and fluid transport, keeping the cyanobacteria alive and photosynthesising.
In simple terms: you can now 3D-print a block that breathes in carbon and builds itself stronger.
Can This Scale?
So far, this is not yet a substitute for steel or timber. But it opens the door to a new class of carbon-negative materials, especially for coatings, interiors, panels, and public-facing architecture in urban spaces.
Crucially, the materials require very little maintenance, and once the bacteria reach equilibrium, they remain viable for at least a year. This is a vital step toward self-sustaining carbon capture in real-world environments.
From Photosynthetic Fantasy to Practical Solution
The term “artificial photosynthesis” is often used to describe energy systems mimicking natural light-driven reactions. But here, we’re seeing a literal deployment of living, photosynthetic organisms embedded in material form, functioning like a hybrid between a plant and a product.
The carbon capture potential per gram may seem modest—but with design optimisation, bioengineering of more efficient microbial strains, and low-cost printing methods, this concept could scale across surfaces where land-use carbon offsetting is impractical.
The Next Frontier
This research demonstrates how we might one day coat cities in carbon-hungry surfaces, replacing passive walls with active participants in climate recovery. It also represents a rare kind of sustainability innovation: one that captures imagination, not just carbon.
Source
Dual carbon sequestration with photosynthetic living materials, Nature Communications, 2025-04-23
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