Frequently Asked Questions

Product + Technology

No. Throughout the years, we have developed our own Biocement® that we use for our products and services. It performs like traditional cement and concrete but is made with biology!

Currently we offer Biolith® precast products for commercial use. We also work on government contracts.

Our Biolith® tiles are suitable for interior, exterior, vertical or horizontal (such as tile floor) applications. We offer finishes, such as polished and honed and have two colors available.

It takes less than 72 hours for our Biolith® tiles to reach full cure strength, and we are continuously improving. As a note—traditional concrete can take up to 28 days to cure!

The size of the Biolith® tile does not change from the time it is formed in production. During production, they increase in density. The “growing” happens as biologically produced calcium carbonate forms bridges between the grains of aggregate, strengthening the unit from within. Biolith® tiles do not warp during production.
Bacteria are everywhere in the world around us. Generally speaking they need two things to survive: nutrients and moisture. Biomason products do retain trace bacteria from the growth process. However, these exist in a dormant state and would require conditions beyond those normally found in the built environment to become active.
We use naturally occurring bacteria to produce our Biocement®. Biomason uses a non-modified bacteria described as a wild-type strain. Our non-pathogenic strain was isolated from a species commonly found in natural environments across the world. These bacteria typically create cemented materials over hundreds or thousands of years, but our process enables them to do the same work in a matter of days.
Instead of Portland cement, we use Biocement® to bind together loose sand and rock. Portland cement is a calcium-silicate hydrate material that originally comes from liberating carbon from limestone through intensive heating, emitting carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Biocement is a reversal of this process, where carbon and calcium are combined to produce a biologically formed limestone material. This means that high heat and fossil fuels are not required in our process, and our materials use carbon as a building block.

While traditional concrete can take up to 28-days, Biomason Biocement® applications reach final strength in less than 72 hours of growth. Specifically in the Biolith tile, the final material consists of approximately 85% natural aggregate, and 15% biologically grown limestone.

The primary component of traditional concrete is Portland cement. Portland cement is manufactured from crushed limestone (calcium carbonate). There are two main stages in the manufacturing of portland cement. The first stage, calcination, requires heating limestone to temperatures greater than 800 degrees Celsius (~1,500 F), resulting in calcium oxide and carbon dioxide gas. The second stage, clinker formation, combines calcium oxide with silicates at furnace temperatures greater than 1,300 degrees Celsius (~2,400 F). The manufacture of 1 kg of portland cement releases approximately 1 kg of carbon dioxide into the environment. Half of this comes from the calcination of the limestone, the other half from the combustion of fossil fuels necessary to achieve the required kiln temperatures. Additional atmospheric byproducts of portland cement production include dioxin, NOx, SO₂, and particulates.

Company

Yes! We are hiring for multiple disciplines. Check out our careers page for a full list of available positions and details on how to apply.

Yes, we are actively reviewing new licensing and distribution partners in order to bring our Biocement® products and services to the world. Please get in touch with our team through our contact page with your company information, location, and any questions, and we will evaluate how to best serve your needs.

We’re not able to respond immediately to every request we receive, but we promise to review and respond to your request as quickly as possible. For the quickest response please submit your request through our contact page. Please describe the nature of your request, the specific information you’re looking for and let us know of your deadline. Naturally, the more advanced notice you can give us, the better able we are to work with you on your deadline.