A revolutionary construction material that actively absorbs carbon dioxide during production has been developed by researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), offering construction industry a practical, scalable solution to reduce embodied carbon in building materials. The breakthrough, published in the peer-reviewed journal Matter on December 6, 2025, introduces enzymatic structural material (ESM)—a strong, durable, and recyclable construction product that challenges concrete's environmental dominance.
Concrete remains the most widely used construction material on Earth, yet its production is staggering in environmental impact. According to the research team, concrete production accounts for nearly 8% of global CO2 emissions—a massive contributor to climate change. Traditional concrete requires extremely high temperatures for production and demands weeks of curing time, both energy-intensive processes.
The construction industry urgently needs carbon-reducing alternatives. Enter ESM, engineered by a team led by Nima Rahbar, the Ralph H. White Family Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at WPI.
The ESM breakthrough centers on a biological innovation: using an enzyme that converts carbon dioxide into solid mineral particles. These particles are then bound together and cured under mild conditions—unlike concrete's energy-intensive high-temperature process.
Key Performance Metrics:
ESM's unique properties make it especially promising for real-world construction applications including:
The material's exceptional combination of rapid curing, tunable strength, and recyclability creates new possibilities across construction sectors. Its repairability could significantly reduce long-term maintenance costs and minimize construction waste sent to landfills.
Professor Rahbar emphasizes the transformative potential: "If even a fraction of global construction shifts toward carbon-negative materials like ESM, the impact could be enormous."
The innovation aligns with global infrastructure goals and opens possibilities for:
ESM is produced with low energy input and renewable biological inputs, positioning it as an aligned solution for circular manufacturing and carbon-neutral infrastructure goals. Because the material uses enzymatic processes rather than traditional curing methods, it represents a fundamental shift in how construction materials can be manufactured sustainably.
The development of ESM demonstrates how bioinspired engineering and materials science can create practical alternatives to carbon-intensive construction practices. Rather than waiting for a distant future of green construction, ESM offers a deployable solution available now.
The emergence of carbon-negative materials like ESM provides contractors with new options for sustainable project delivery without sacrificing structural performance. As client demand for sustainable building practices increases and carbon accounting becomes integral to project economics, access to materials like ESM positions forward-thinking builders and contractors for competitive advantage. The material's rapid curing also offers potential schedule benefits on projects where faster turnaround improves project profitability.
Citation: Shuai Wang et al, "Durable, high-strength carbon-negative enzymatic structural materials via a capillary suspension technique," Matter (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2025.102564
Sources: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Phys.org (December 6, 2025), Matter Journal
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