<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:16px;font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-style:normal;" class=""><a rel="nofollow" style="" class="" target="_blank" href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/21/tech/innovation/would-you-live-in-a-house-made-of-urine-and-bacteria/">http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/21/tech/innovation/would-you-live-in-a-house-made-of-urine-and-bacteria/</a></div><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:16px;font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-style:normal;" class=""><br style="" class=""></div><div style="" class=""><strong style="" class="">(CNN)</strong> -- Peter Trimble found his formula through trial and error. A
design student at the<a rel="nofollow" style="" class="" target="_blank" href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/home"> University of Edinburgh</a>,
he was aiming to produce an artistic exhibition for a module on
sustainability, when he stumbled on "Dupe," a living alternative to
concrete.</div><div style="" class=""><br style="" class=""></div>
<div style="" class="">A lab technician
introduced Trimble to Sporosarcina pasteurii, a bacterium with binding
qualities, sometimes used to solidify soil to hold road signs in place.
The student tested it with one of the world's most abundant resources -
sand. Pumping bacterial solution into a sand-filled mould, he added
nutrients, urea derived from urine as fertilizer and calcium. After a
year, and hundreds of failed experiments, this process manufactured a
stool around 70% the compression strength of concrete.</div><div style="" class=""><br style="" class=""></div>
<div style="" class="">The process requires less
than one-sixth of the energy used in concrete production, and is
completely biodegradable. Crucially, Trimble believes his mechanism has
the added benefit that it could be employed by anyone, anywhere.</div>
<div style="" class="">"Once you have the basic
framework it should be transferable. Imagine a Tsunami-hit farm in
Indonesia that is not getting supplies. You could use sand and bacteria
on site, practically free, and have shelter housing that is far more
permanent."</div><div style="" class=""><br style="" class=""></div></div></body></html>