GROWING grass on your roof and other attempts to make homes carbon neutral are mere 鈥済reen bling鈥�. So says Rachel Armstrong of University College London (UCL), who suggests that her smart paint can turn buildings into carbon sinks.
Armstrong created the paint by dissolving salts and esters in oil droplets. Repeated coatings react with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to produce calcium carbonate 鈥� which is the main constituent of limestone 鈥� and alcohol. The resulting 鈥渂iolime鈥� will provide extra strength and insulation, she says. How much CO2 could be removed from the atmosphere in this way has not yet been tested.
鈥淭he paint would react with carbon dioxide in the air to produce 鈥榖iolime鈥�, which could help insulate homes鈥�
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Armstrong wants to adapt the technique for use underwater to create an artificial limestone reef beneath Venice to stop the city sinking. She will present her work at a workshop at UCL鈥檚 Bartlett School of Architecture next month.
