ETH Zurich develops living building material that captures and stores CO₂
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a living building material that extracts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in two forms – as biomass and as solid minerals. The material combines a hydrogel with photosynthetic cyanobacteria, forming a 3D-printable composite that is alive, grows, and binds carbon over time.
The interdisciplinary team, led by Professor Mark Tibbitt, Professor of Macromolecular Engineering at ETH Zurich, presented its findings in Nature Communications in a paper titled “Dual carbon sequestration with photosynthetic living materials.”
According to the study, the photosynthetic bacteria convert CO₂ into biomass while simultaneously triggering mineral precipitation. “The material can store carbon not only in biomass, but also in the form of minerals – a special property of these cyanobacteria,” said Tibbitt. This dual mechanism allows the structures to act as stable carbon sinks that harden from within as mineralisation proceeds.
The living material binds approximately 26 milligrams of CO₂ per gram – significantly more than many biological methods and comparable to the chemical mineralisation of recycled concrete. Laboratory tests showed continuous carbon capture over 400 days, with sunlight and artificial seawater providing the necessary nutrients.
Doctoral researcher Yifan Cui, co-lead author of the study, explained: “Cyanobacteria are among the oldest life forms in the world. They are highly efficient at photosynthesis and can utilise even the weakest light to produce biomass from CO₂ and water.” The mineral deposits formed by the bacteria reinforce the material mechanically, allowing it to harden gradually.
Architectural applications were demonstrated through two installations: Picoplanktonics at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and Dafne’s Skin at the Triennale di Milano. Both projects used the living material at architectural scale, illustrating its potential as a façade or surface coating capable of capturing carbon throughout a building’s life cycle.
Professor Tibbitt said: “We see our living material as a low-energy and environmentally friendly approach that can bind CO₂ from the atmosphere and complement existing chemical processes for carbon sequestration.”
Relevance to the UK concrete sector
Living materials and carbon sequestration directly intersect with the concrete sector’s search for low-carbon, carbon-negative, and self-healing construction materials.
The ETH Zurich research team’s photosynthetic living material offers a dual CO₂ capture mechanism (organic growth + mineralisation) that mirrors the mineral carbonation process already used in carbon-cured concrete and recycled-aggregate technologies.
The study’s reference to mineral formation (lime precipitation) parallels ongoing UK and European R&D into biomineralised and bio-cementitious materials, making it relevant for future green building envelopes and carbon-storing façades.
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