Developing new building materials that can save energy

From research on marine worms, Chinese scientists have developed a new low-carbon building material that has the potential to save energy and reduce emissions in the construction sector.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the research was conducted by scientists at the Institute of Engineering Physics and Chemistry (TIPC), under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and published in the journal Matter.

“Traditional cement-based building materials consume a lot of energy during production and emit a lot of CO2, so developing new low-carbon building materials is very meaningful,” said Wang Shutao, an expert at TIPC, an author of the study.

Researchers have observed a special species of marine worm, called the sandcastle worm, that has a unique way of building its nest. They secrete a glue that binds sand grains or pieces of shell together to form sandcastles.

From this observation, scientists have developed a new type of building material using naturally derived adhesives.

According to research, this new building material is very versatile, able to bond various types of sand, such as desert sand, sea sand, concrete slag, coal slag and mineral residue. This material has good mechanical performance, unique recyclability, all-weather resistance and elasticity.

“The outstanding properties make this new material a promising building material for next-generation low-carbon construction,” said expert Wang Shutao.