Scientists in India have found a surprising way to turn a sanitation problem into a potential construction material: biochar made from treated human waste can replace part of the cement used in concrete and, at the right concentration, make the material stronger.
Researchers from Manipal University Jaipur and Louisiana Tech University produced biochar from faecal sludge collected at a faecal sludge treatment plant in Warangal, Telangana. They then used the processed material to replace 5%, 10% and 15% of cement in concrete and tested how the mixes performed over different curing periods.
