The era of sustainable construction has arrived.
. Moreover, the air quality of the area where cement is produced is also heavily compromised as the burning of limestone releases various pollutants and toxic gases into the air. The solution to this problem popped into the mind of Professor Wil Srubar in 2017 on his trip to Thailand.Professor Srubar noticed naturally built calcium carbonate structures around coral reefs during his trip. Since he knew that limestone is also made of calcium carbonate.
When he came back to the US, he and his team of researchers decided to cultivate microalgae called coccolithophores. Members of this algae species are capable of giving rise to biogenic limestone by creating calcium carbonate deposits during photosynthesis. The researchers noticed that, unlike natural limestone which takesAdvertisement
Moreover, coccolithophores produced calcium carbonate in less time as compared to the coral reefs that Professor Srubar observed in Thailand. The raw material required for the formation of biogenic limestone in seawater included only dissolved carbon dioxide and sunlight. Also, since the microalgae can survive in both salty and freshwater bodies, they can be employed to grow limestone almost anywhere in the world.