This new building material pulls carbon out of the air

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have developed a building material that removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces. The material, called enzymatic structural material or ESM, was described in a study published in the journal Matter. It uses an enzyme to turn carbon dioxide into solid mineral particles that are bonded and cured under gentle conditions. The project was led by Nima Rahbar, a professor and head of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at WPI. ESM can be shaped into structural components within hours. In contrast, conventional concrete requires very high temperatures for production and can take weeks to fully cure. Rahbar said concrete production accounts for nearly 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Producing one cubic meter of ESM sequesters more than 6 kilograms of carbon dioxide, while conventional concrete emits 330 kilograms per cubic meter. The material is strong, recyclable, and suitable for applications such as roof decks and wall panels. ESM can also be repaired, which may reduce long-term costs and landfill waste. Rahbar said that if a fraction of global construction shifts toward such materials, the impact could be enormous. The work supports goals for carbon-neutral infrastructure. The study appears in Matter with the DOI 10.1016/j.matt.2025.102564. Materials were provided by Worcester Polytechnic Institute.