Experiments

Brick Experiments

Manufacturing Pichitecture Bricks

Goal: Making bricks of varying size and different portioning of components to test their properties after drying.

Component	Purchased
River Sand	MERCK. CAS: 14808-60-7
Desert Sand	Wüstenland
Lignin	Sigma-Aldrich. CAS:8068-05-1
Gelatine	Dr. Oetker (gemahlen)
Agar-Agar	MERCK. CAS: 9002-18-0
Cyanobacteria from liquid culture	Synechocystis PCC 6803
BG-11 medium	Recipe
CaCO3	MERCK. CAS: 471-34-1

Procedure: Each brick is made from three components: binder, liquid, structure (solid material). The overall ratio was set as: 30% binder + liquid and 70% solid structure

Step by Step Protocol:

Step #	Instruction
1	Add 0.1M CaCO3
2	Weigh the binder in a flask
3	Add liquid
4	Put the flask in a water bath (50°C) until binder is melted
5	Add the solid component
6	Fold the solid component into the mixture. Avoid air bubbles.
7	Use a spoon to transfer the mixture into the molds
8	Let dry and store at room temperature

Mixture 1
#	Solid	Binder	Liquid	CaCO3
1a	70% River Sand	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	0.1M CaCO3
1b	70% River Sand	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	-
1c	70% River Sand	3% Gelatine	27% BG11 + Cyanobacteria	0.1M CaCO3
2a	63% River Sand + 7% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	0.1M CaCO3
2b	63% River Sand + 7% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	-
2c	63% River Sand + 7% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% BG11 + Cyanobacteria	0.1M CaCO3
3a	70% River Sand	3% Agar-Agar	27% BG11	0.1M CaCO3
3b	70% River Sand	3% Agar-Agar	27% BG11	-
3c	70% River Sand	3% Agar-Agar	27% BG11+Cyanobacteria	0.1M CaCO3

Mixture 2
#	Solid	Binder	Liquid	CaCO3
1a	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	0.1M CaCO3
1b	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	-
1c	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	27% BG11 + Cyanobacteria	0.1M CaCO3
2a	66.5% Desert Sand + 3.5% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	0.1M CaCO3
2b	66.5% Desert Sand + 3.5% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% BG11	-
2c	66.5% Desert Sand + 3.5% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% BG11 + Cyanobacteria	0.1M CaCO3
3a	66.5% Desert Sand + 3.5% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	0.1M CaCO3
3b	66.5% Desert Sand + 3.5% Lignin	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	-

Mixture 3
#	Solid	Binder	Liquid	CaCO3
1a	70% River Sand	1.5% Gelatine	28.5% H2O	0.1M CaCO3
1b	70% River Sand	1.5% Gelatine	28.5% H2O	-
1c	70% Desert Sand	1.5% Gelatine	28.5% H2O	0.1M CaCO3
1d	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	-
2a	70% River Sand	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	0.1M CaCO3
2b	70% River Sand	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	-
2c	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	0.1M CaCO3
2d	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	27% H2O	-

Mixture 4 - BioGlue (provided in collaboration with the BOKU-IFA Project BioGlue
#	Solid	Binder	Liquid	CaCO3
1a	70% River Sand	30% Bio-Glue	-	-
1b	70% River Sand	15% BioGlue + 1.5% Gelatine	13.5% H2O	-
1c	70% River Sand	3% Gelatine	21.6% H2O + 5.4% unpolymerized lignin	-
2a	70% Desert Sand	30% BioGlue	-	-
2b	66.5% Desert Sand + 3.5% BioGlue	15% BioGlue + 1.5% Gelatine	13.5% H2O	-
2c	70% Desert Sand	3% Gelatine	21.6% H2O + 5.4% unpolymerized lignin	-

Testing the Bricks

A short description of the testing methods can be found here.

Cloning Protocols

Protocols for Cloning

Brick Experiments