MAY 12

My big concern is time. How long does it take to make these? I didn't see this important manufacturing detail in the original inhabitat article...

From the BetterBrink link:

The future poses countless obstacles, too. She’ll have to figure out how to create a strong brick without squandering raw materials, and how to scale up for mass production given that the chemical process is inherently slow. (Dosier’s blocks take a week to grow; clay bricks can be made in two days.) But the most pressing hurdle is that the biobrick pollutes. Microbial-induced calcite precipitation spews tremendous amounts of ammonia, as scientists affiliated with Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, discovered recently when they tried the chemical process on contaminated sand and soil. “High ammonia concentrations result in environmental eutrophication and eventually, via microbial conversion to nitrate, the poisoning of groundwater,” the Delft researcher Henk Jonkers writes in an e-mail. If the bacteria continues to convert ammonia to nitrous oxide, he adds, it can produce a greenhouse gas 320 times more powerful than CO2. “The results show that working with natural processes is not necessarily equivalent to sustainable practices!”

Matt - Thanks for the insight into the process. Its easy to get excited about new technologies but this one appears to come at a cost.

Another approach to a more sustainable brick or paving stone is made by Calstar Products, www.calstarproducts.com. They use fly ash, a recycled material, and a manufacturing process that cuts embodied energy and CO2 by 80 percent compared to fired clay bricks.

It's also consumes a lot of resources: 400 trees are burned to make 25,000 bricks.
......
If Better Bricks replaced all traditionally-fired bricks, 800 million tons of CO2 emissions would be eliminated each year.

Wait a sec. I thought using trees, as wood is a biofuel, is 'carbon neutral'. Hence no net CO2.

400 trees to make 25,000 bricks

sounds suspiciously like someone has plucked some 'fresh' data from their nether regions.

Seriously folks, how many brickworks in the western world burn trees to make bricks? I don't think there are any or not very many.

Where the heck do they get the pee? seriously, I'd try something like this only when they can assure me it's safe and won't grow nasty stuff inside my home.

Im just too meticulous when it comes to cleaning and similarly my wife even uses only organic and natural cleaners. you guys can check out our favorite brand, babyganics here: http://www.babyganics.com/

You know of course that fly ash is radioactive don't you?

I think it is quite possible to overcome the potential pollution caused by the ammonia production ( the ammonia is mostly broken down during fruther calcite production, especially if other types of bacteria and certain other minerals are added.

I'm going to be doing som DIY- R&D, experimenting with this technology by casting some bricks, floor tiles, and what-not. I will also be testing some (natural, non-toxic, and inexpensive) additives to see if this cuts down on ammonia off-gassing and NOx production.

Urea is available from any garden center as a fertilizer. So you don't have to pee into the cement mixer any more.

As for this concept not having any credibility, there actually is a lot of research on 'microbially-induced calcite production,' which is what this is.

These bricks are just a brilliant leap forward in a field of research and development which probably isn't yet 15 years old. Simplicity is brilliant.
As are some grand dreams...
Google for Magnus Larsson's vision for this technology.

Michael Chusid
"fly ash"...is radioactive...that not good idea a all

Bamboo (fast growing grass) and straw is a way to go for building. In combination with silicone (acetate), sodium-bicarbonate (10%) and cement (10%) it can be earthquake resistant. This system can extract CO2 from air.

I'm sorry we do not use toilets, except for number 2's, please pick a corner and be apart of our home.
No, No..
It's ok, please refrain from cleaning your animals urine, it improves our homes stability and fortification.
A bulldozer couldn't break a wall..

What smell??

All kidding aside, I would totally try it out..
Sit back with a few buddies, several kegs of your favorite on tap and you'll have a home's worth of brick in no time at all, Just move the urinal and use a wheel barrel, now if you can get a screen with a game going you're all set.

Enjoy the new 2010 Recycled Beer on Tap, HOME!

Give me a shout and I'll help with the Molson Canadian Fireplace.

Alright, this is really new to me. I can hardly imagine how urea can be used on any other stuffs, yet alone, as a brick for buildings. Thanks for the post though.