Another giant leap for mankind...
SCIENTIST DEVELOPS WAYS TO BUILD IN SPACE – USING MOONDUST, HUMAN BLOOD AND CHICKPEAS
BRICKS made of moon dust and human blood?
It may sound like the work of science fiction, but the reality is closer than you think.
In a city centre lab, a team of scientists from the University of Manchester are working with some unusual materials in a bid to figure out how we can build in space – and how we can build better here on Earth.
The project is led by Dr Aled Roberts, who tasked himself with figuring out how astronauts could build in space without having traditional building materials readily available.
Taking inspiration from old building techniques, which used animal blood as a binder to create firm walls, he created a brick made from simulated moondust, using human blood as a binder.
He explained that for humans to make meaningful further progress or discoveries on Mars or the Moon, we will have to be able to build there.
But astronauts can only take so much up with them – meaning alternative building materials made of components that are in ready supply in space, are necessary.
“There’s no infrastructure on the Moon and Mars, and we are going to have to make everything there or transport it,” he said. So he started to think about materials that astronauts would already have – blood, urine and starch from foodstuffs such as chickpeas.
His research found that both urea and a common protein from blood plasma – human serum albumin – could act as a binder for simulated moon or Mars dust (granite composite) to produce a concretelike material that is stronger than conventional concrete.
During lockdown,
Aled, 32, bought a 50-tonne hydraulic press, which lives in his cellar, and started experimenting with starchy foodstuffs. What he found was a game-changer.
He says his bricks don’t need to be fired like traditional ceramics, and are far cheaper to produce.
The cost of transporting a single brick to Mars can cost more than £1m – but Aled says his bricks are made using relatively inexpensive processes and cheap, easy to obtain ingredients.
“When there are constraints, it can actually be really helpful,” he said. “A problem a lot of science has when it tries to be translated to the real world is if it’s expensive or not feasible.”
Being forced to work with cheap kitchen staples means that his work has its uses closer to home, too.
Aled said that the building and construction sector accounts for around 40 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, with around half of that coming from construction materials and the processes that go into making them.
“We’re making good progress on the operational side, like heating and lighting,” he said. “But we’re making very slow progress on the construction materials and processes.”
Aled is confident that his bricks will soon meet building regulations. So confident, in fact, that he has created a start-up with the intention of bringing the bricks to market. He has even made much of his research open access, so anyone who wants to invest in producing these materials can.
Aled acknowledged that the bricks are still only suitable for use in specific, bespoke projects. And he is keen not to ‘greenwash’ his discoveries.
“We’re not claiming we’re carbon negative yet, not without doing a thorough lifecycle analysis, because you need to consider transportation and all the processes that go into creating the material,” he said.
“We really need more investment and a bigger push into sustainable construction materials. What I am developing might be a solution for some instances and some applications, but we really need to look at a lot more opportunities and really finesse this science and technology.”
We really need a bigger push into sustainable construction materials Dr Aled Roberts