Sep 15, 2021 23:00:00

Concrete used on Mars could be made of astronaut's 'blood, sweat and tears'

Takes a high cost to transport the goods from Earth to Mars, also cost $ 2 million to send only one brick to Mars (about 220 million yen) is applied

it has been said . Therefore, the procurement of resources becomes a bottleneck for human beings to try to live on Mars, but as a result of a new experiment by researchers at the University of Manchester on 'building materials that can be procured on Mars', it is included in human body fluids. We succeeded in producing concrete by mixing the ingredients with rocks.

Blood, sweat and tears: extraterrestrial regolith biocomposites with in vivo binders --ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590006421000442

Affordable housing in outer space: Scientists develop cosmic concrete from space dust and astronaut blood
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/affordable-housing-in-outer-space-scientists-develop-cosmic-concrete-from-space-dust-and-astronaut-blood/

Aled Roberts and colleagues at the University of Manchester have found that human serum albumin (HSA), a protein abundant in human plasma, acts as an adhesive and can produce concrete using only HSA, Martian rocks, and water. I found out that there is sex. Roberts et al. Actually tried to manufacture concrete using HSA, a planetary simulation material of the moon or Mars, pure water, and succeeded in manufacturing it in more than 20 hours. Its intensity was approximately 1.9MPa to 9.3MPa when using the Martian planetary simulation material and approximately 6.1MPa to 25.0MPa when using the Moon planetary simulation material. In addition, if it is ordinary concrete, the strength that can be used for about 30 years without major repair is defined as '18MPa'.

Furthermore, when it was manufactured by mixing urea, which is a powerful protein denaturant, the overall strength increased by 112% to 324%, and it was said that it was stronger than ordinary concrete. In addition, Roberts et al. Said that since this experiment used simple equipment assuming that it will actually be manufactured on Mars, it may be even stronger with more advanced technology.

Roberts et al. 'HSA is present in human blood at a concentration of 40 g to 45 g per liter, and astronauts donate blood to collect 12 g to 15 g per day. Our calculation By collecting HSA from six astronauts over a period of 72 weeks, we can steadily expand our early colonies. ' In addition to blood and urine, hair, nails, sweat, feces, etc. may be used as building materials.

In addition, serum albumin (MSA) from cattle, rabbits, goats, or other mammals may also be available if it turns out that HSA cannot be used as a binder due to the physiologic burden of astronauts. Roberts and colleagues say. However, although research is underway to take non-human mammals to manned exploration on the Moon or Mars, it can eliminate the psychological burden and solve food problems, but unfortunately it is currently underway. It is said that it is difficult with the technology of.

Roberts et al. 'By using human body fluids as a building material, there is a possibility that the living space can be steadily expanded, but to the extent that it does not affect the health of astronauts in low gravity and high radiation environments. Further investigation is needed as the amount of HSA that can be collected needs to be determined accurately. '