INERTIAL
The interdisciplinary Inertial project explored biofabrication strategies for recycling by-products of the stone industry into innovative and sustainable construction materials. The aim was to transform marble processing waste into biofabricated materials through a biotechnological process mediated by photosynthetic microorganisms. The research combines expertise in sustainable design and microbiology to develop material samples according to the logic of Material Design Driven and Biodesign in a circular economy context. Among the major wastes produced by marble cutting activities and less reusable are marble dust and sludge, locally known as ‘marmettola’ composed of calcite micro granules, mainly in sand to silt size. Cultures of cyanobacteria and microalgae were used, in particular Chroococcus Minutus and Tetraselmis seucica, microorganisms known to carry out a process called Microbial-Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). Three different granulometries of stone waste were used for the study: fine marble gravel (4 mm-8 mm), marble sand (>1µm), and marble silt (marmettola) (4µm- 63µm). The project proposes innovative material solutions resulting from the collaboration between researchers in sustainable design, molecular biology and microbiology, who worked in some phases in an interdisciplinary manner but in others with a freer approach. Among the outputs presented are Samples of Biofabricated Materials, Bioreceptive Tiles, exploiting the bioreceptive characteristics of the new biofabricated material, and Multicolour Tiles, exploiting 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
