Material Collection
Bacterial
On the cutting edge of natural materials, some manufacturers are harnessing the power of bacteria to make exciting new products. In some cases, the living bacteria acts as a means to grow products from scratch. In others, the materials come alive when damaged during use in order to repair themselves.
Bacterial
3 products
About Our Collections
The goal of our collections is to help promote transparency in the material ingredients of building products by fostering knowledge and awareness of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available, and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts.
Keep an eye out for the following symbols:
A Healthier Affordable Building Product
Products with the designation of "Healthier & Affordable" were specified and installed in at least one of our Case Studies of healthier affordable housing.
Available at the Donghia healthier Materials Library
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New Product
This product has been added to the collection within the past six months.
Ingredient Disclosures
There are several ways of evaluating a material’s health that we include with product information. Disclosures are reports by manufacturers about product ingredients, impacts, or other attributes.
Key Disclosures include:
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
A voluntary technical specification for reporting information on product contents and associated health information, intended to be the health-analogue to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Declare Label
Declare is a transparency platform and product database that answers three questions:
1. Where does a product come from?
2. What is it made of?
3. Where does it go at the end of its life?
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
A standardized format for communicating the environmental effects associated with a product’s raw materials extraction, energy use, chemical makeup, waste generation, and emissions to air, soil, and water.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
A reporting format that provides basic information about a material’s chemical ingredients, the potential safety hazards to installers, and recommended practices for installation.
Other
| Manufacturer | Product | Ingredient Disclosures | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masonry | Bacteria | bioMASON | bioMASON |
bioMASONAvailable At the Donghia Materials LibrarybioMASON grows bricks using technology similar to hydroponics -units mixed with microorganism are fed an aqueous solution to harden the bricks to specification. bioMASON’s process eliminates the need for firing by replacing the curing/hardening process with biologically controlled structural cement. CategoryMasonry, BacteriaManufacturerbioMASON
Material composition *Sand, Sporosarcina pasteurii (bacteria) *As reported by manufacturer. CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Last UpdatedFebruary 27, 2018 |
| Concrete | Bacteria | Dr. Henk Jonkers | BioConcrete |
BioConcreteBioConcrete is a self-healing concrete product made of biodegradable plastic capsules of calcium lactate and bacteria added to a wet concrete mix. When activated by water, the capsules expand and fill any cracks that exist in the concrete. CategoryConcrete, BacteriaManufacturerDr. Henk Jonkers
Material composition *Concrete, calcium lactate, bacillus bacteria, biodegradable plastic *As disclosed by manufacturer. AVAILABLE SIZINGN/A CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Last UpdatedDecember 31, 2016 |
| Concrete | Bacteria | Damian Palin | BioMineralized Concrete |
BioMineralized ConcreteBioMineralized Concrete uses bacteria to bind a sand aggregate. The technology allows for the sand, or any other small, rough aggregate, to be used to make a solid material. Because it hardens at room temperature, it saves the energy that typically goes into baking bricks. BioMineralized Concrete can be used as a concrete substitute. However, it has 2/3 the strength of traditional concrete, so it needs to be reinforced by adding fiber or metal, or through pressurization during casting. CategoryConcrete, BacteriaManufacturerDamian Palin
Material composition *Sand, Calcium Chloride, Urea, Bacteria *As disclosed by manufacturer. AVAILABLE SIZINGN/A CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Other
Last UpdatedDecember 31, 2016 |
Inclusion Criteria:
- primary ingredient comes from Animal, Plant, Fungi, Bacterial or Mineral category (no polymers)
- OR manufacturing process capitalizes on natural material properties and reactions (eg. yeast fermentation)
Updated February 27, 2018
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