The Rio Tinto Mine in Arizona is one of the most significant contributors to the global copper supply, yet mining results in many byproducts such as copper smelter slag—a glass-like material generated during metal extraction, and mine tailings. While traditionally thought of as waste, these byproducts can be sustainably reused in the production of concrete. This project aims to make use of these mining byproducts and combine them with Sporosarcina pasteurii—a bacteria capable of absorbing CO₂ and improving material durability through microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). This will all the team to explore the concept of low-carbon construction materials and biologically enhanced concrete.
This project team will create sustainable concrete furniture for campus beautification and explore biogenic mineralization as a method for reducing CO₂ emissions and enhancing material durability. Student employees will be engaged in research and the design, production, and transportation of the lounge chairs and planters. The project will result in the creation of four concrete planters and two concrete lounge chairs in the highly trafficked corridor between the Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering buildings, providing a permanent installation of the results of student research and collaboration.