"Biological Concrete" Promotes Vertical Gardens

As a New Year begins, E-NEWS takes you to Barcelona, Spain, where researchers at the Structural Technology Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, has come up with a "biological concrete" designed to act as a substrate for vertical gardens that is simple, low maintenance and requires little or no attention. The key to biological concrete is that it replaces the Portland cement normally used with magnesium phosphate cement – a quick-setting cement often used for repair work. In biological concrete, the magnesium phosphate makes the concrete slightly acidic. This makes it an excellent environment for microalgae, fungi, lichens and mosses in Mediterranean climates.