Inspired by nature
Despite facing huge constraints, the natural world produces some incredible materials. Our philosophy is to combine the best that nature has to offer with modern manufacturing techniques to produce advanced materials through green, sustainable, and scalable processes.
Our Specialisation
We specialize in biopolymer-inorganic composite (biocomposite) materials, taking inspiration from natural materials such as ivory, pearl and tooth enamel.
Our work
We have developed two technologies, termed BioSintering and BioGlazing, that eliminate the need for conventional firing and glazing - significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the resulting tiles.
Fabalith
Fabalith is made from captured CO2 in the form of carbonate minerals (>95% by mass) and a binder obtained from waste chickpea broth (Aquafaba). Carbon black (soot) can be included as an additive to give a grey colour and further increase the carbon content of the tiles.
Our Technology
Ordinary ceramic tiles need to be fired at high temperatures over many hours to harden (sinter) and glaze the materials. Firing accounts for the majority of the energy footprint of an ordinary tile.
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Comparisons
The resulting biocomposite materials can have compressive strengths in excess of 90 MPa, which exceeds high-strength concrete and is the strongest synthetic biomaterial ever reported.
Cyalith
Cyalith is made from carbonate minerals (>95% by mass) and a binder obtained from algae - a photosynthetic microorganism. The binder is a by-product of 3rd generation algal biofuels production. Click here for a product specification sheet.
