A North Carolina company called Biomason has developed a process to grow bricks at room temperature using bacteria instead of baking them in kilns. The bacteria feed on calcium and water to precipitate calcium carbonate, which cements loose sand into solid stone in under three days. This eliminates the need for the 2,500-degree kilns used in conventional cement production. The company claims its biocement reduces cradle-to-gate carbon emissions by more than 90 percent compared to ordinary Portland cement. Cement production currently accounts for about 8 percent of global CO2 emissions, roughly half from the kiln fuel and half from the chemical reaction of heating limestone. Biomason's process avoids both sources. Biomason already sells a precast tile product called bioLITH and has partnered with Denmark's largest precast concrete maker IBF to produce biocement products since 2023. The company has raised $65 million in Series C funding from investors including Martin Marietta, a major U.S. building materials firm. Its goal is to eliminate a quarter of the concrete industry's global carbon emissions by 2030.
