Combining nature and science, the Bio-Block addresses the climate crisis, offering new possibilities for carbon-neutral construction. Solving the Building Industry’s Biggest Carbon Challenge Traditional cement and concrete production pumps 11 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every day. As a solution to one of the building industry’s biggest carbon challenges, Bio-Block offers an algae-based, zero-carbon alternative to the concrete masonry blocks (CMUs) found everywhere in our buildings and cities.

Zero Carbon Bio-Cement: Science Inspired by Nature Bio-concrete uses naturally occurring microalgae – a microscopic algae that sequesters carbon. The algae-based building material uses photosynthesis and carbonate mineralization to sequester and store CO2 in material form. This process creates a material chemically similar to the calcium carbonate generated in coral reefs and oyster shells. When mixed with aggregate, this bio-cement creates a net zero-carbon building material with mechanical, physical, and thermal performance properties comparable or superior to traditional concrete.

A 1-to-1 Replacement To underscore the viability of this replacement, Bio-Block Spiral was assembled using conventional masonry techniques and traditional mortar, and constructed by masons from the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and J&E Duff. Built from 544 blocks, the installation shows a 1200kg carbon reduction from typical CMUs.