BioBasedTiles®

The primary component of traditional concrete is Portland cement. Portland cement is manufactured from crushed limestone (calcium carbonate). There are two main stages in the manufacturing of portland cement.

The first stage, calcination, requires heating limestone to temperatures greater than 800 degrees Celsius (~1,500 F), resulting in calcium oxide and carbon dioxide gas.

The second stage, clinker formation, combines calcium oxide with silicates at furnace temperatures greater than 1,300 degrees Celsius (~2,400 F).

Manufacturing 1 KG of Portland cement releases approximately 1 KG of carbon dioxide into the environment. Half of this comes from the calcination of the limestone, and the other half from the combustion of fossil fuels necessary to achieve the required kiln temperatures. Additional atmospheric byproducts of portland cement production include dioxin, NOx, SO₂, and particulates.

No. Throughout the years, our partner Biomason® developed their Biocement® that we use for the BioBasedTiles. The process relies on bacteria for the growth of cement rather than burning fuels for calcination resulting in a lighter, stronger, and thinner material.

Instead of Portland cement, we use Biocement® to bind loose sand and rock. Portland cement is a calcium-silicate hydrate material that originally comes from liberating carbon from limestone through intensive heating, emitting carbon dioxide as a byproduct.

Biocement® is a reversal of this process, where carbon and calcium are combined to produce a biologically formed limestone material. This means that high heat and fossil fuels are not required in the process, and BioBasedTiles use carbon as a building block, just like nature!

The final material consists of approximately 85% natural aggregate, and 15% biologically grown limestone.

Naturally occurring bacteria are used to produce BioBasedTiles, a non-modified bacteria described as a wild-type strain. The non-pathogenic strain was isolated from a species commonly found in global natural environments.

These bacteria typically create cemented materials over hundreds or thousands of years, but the Biocement® process enables them to do the same work in days.

Bacteria are everywhere in the world around us. Generally speaking, they need two things to survive: nutrients and moisture. BioBasedTiles do retain trace bacteria from the growth process. However, these exist in a dormant state and require conditions beyond those commonly found in the built environment to become active.

The size of the BioBasedTiles does not change from the time it is formed in production. During production, they increase in density. The “growing” happens as biologically produced calcium carbonate forms bridges between the aggregate grains, strengthening the unit from within. BioBasedTiles do not warp during production.

It takes less than 72 hours for our BioBasedTiles to reach full cure strength, and this is continuously improving through Biomason’s rapid research and development. As a note—traditional concrete can take up to 28 days to cure!

The short answer is no. Not yet.

The factory that will produce the BioBasedTile on a large scale is located in Denmark. The Biomason EPD team is working closely together with the engineers in Denmark to calculate the environmental profile of the actual product made over here.

To prevent the circulation of multiple EPDs of the BioBasedTiles, we will be waiting for the new publication which represents the commercial product we are selling.

This depends on the type of product you are looking for. Based on the information communicated in the sample request form, we’ll prepare a brick proposal for you, send samples, get into the specifics of your project and confirm the order, start production, and deliver on-site.

During and after the construction of your project, we’ll connect a few times to see how things are going. Get in touch with questions you might still have, or read more about the process of our custom-made service.