Scientists create the world’s first ‘living’ cement — and it can generate energy

Innovation often blurs boundaries, and few fields embody that more than biotechnology. From enhancing the human body to reinventing how we generate electricity, science is rewriting what’s possible.

Now, a team of Danish researchers has pushed those limits again — by reinventing the world’s most common building material: cement.

Scientists at Aarhus University, Denmark’s second-largest research institution, have developed what they’re calling the world’s first “living cement.” In simple terms, it’s a building material infused with bacteria that can store and release electricity.

How a microbe turns cement into a power source

The secret lies in Shewanella oneidensis, a hardy microbe known for its unusual ability to push electrons outside its own cells explained a press release from the institution. By embedding this bacterium into concrete, researchers created a microscopic power grid within the material itself — one that can hold and discharge energy.

Unlike most organisms, S. oneidensis can survive with or without oxygen, making it especially durable in cement’s tough environment. But even bacteria need food, and concrete isn’t exactly a buffet.

Feeding the cement to keep it alive

The Danish team solved this challenge by engineering a microfluidic nutrient system inside the cement. Think of it as an IV drip of proteins, vitamins, and minerals that keeps the bacteria alive — and even revives them if they die off.

This technique can restore up to 80% of the material’s original capacity, both its structural and energy functions. In other words, this cement doesn’t just build. It heals and powers too.

A glimpse of the future: buildings that power themselves

To prove the concept, Luo’s team built six cement blocks, linked them together, and generated enough electricity to light up an LED bulb. It’s a small start, but the implications are enormous.

While there is still a long way to go, “this is not just a lab experiment,” Qi Luo, the project’s lead researcher, emphasized. “We envision this technology being integrated into real buildings, in walls, foundations, or bridges, where it can support renewable energy sources like solar panels by providing local energy storage.”

“Imagine a regular room built with bacteria-infused cement: even at a modest energy density of 5 Wh/kg, the walls alone could store about 10 kWh - enough to keep a standard enterprise server running for a whole day,” he added.

For now, it’s just a flickering LED. But tomorrow, it could be the spark that powers entire cities.

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