INERTIAL
The transdisciplinary project INERTIAL - Innovative mateRial from TradItionaL resources, explored biofabrication strategies for recycling by-products from the stone supply chain into innovative and sustainable building materials. The aim was to transform waste from the stone processing sector in Tuscany (marble, pietra serena, and travertine) into biofabricated materials through a biotechnological process mediated by photosynthetic microorganisms. The research combines expertise in sustainable design and agricultural microbiology, developing material samples based on the logic of Material Design Driven and Biodesign within the framework of the circular economy. Among the major wastes produced by marble cutting activities, and the least reusable, are marble dust and sludge, locally known as “marmettola,” composed of microgranules of calcite, primarily ranging in size from sand to silt. Cyanobacteria and microalgae cultures were used, particularly Chroococcus minutus and Tetraselmis suecica, microorganisms known for carrying out a process called Microbial-Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). Three different grain sizes of stone waste were used for the study: fine marble gravel (4 mm-8 mm), marble sand (>1µm), and marble powder (“marmettola”) (4µm-63µm). The project proposes innovative material solutions born from the collaboration between researchers from the University of Florence in sustainable design and molecular biology (DIDA Department) and agricultural microbiology (DAGRI Department), who worked in some phases with an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach and in other phases with a more open approach. Among the outputs presented are First Samples of Biofabricated Materials, Bioreceptive Tiles—leveraging the bioreceptive characteristics of the new biofabricated material—and Multicolor Tiles, which exploit the organic compounds (pigments) produced by the different types of cyanobacteria used.
Research Group:
Marco Marseglia, DIDA Department, University of Florence
Natascia Biondi, DAGRI Department, University of Florence
Francesco Cantini, DIDA Department, University of Florence
Tommaso Celli, DIDA Department, University of Florence
Edoardo Brunelli, DIDA Department, University of Florence
Lorenzo Reali, DAGRI Department, University of Florence
Giacomo Sampietro, DAGRI Department, University of Florence
Giuseppe Lotti, DIDA Department, University of Florence
More Info:
designforsustainabilitylab.com
