Pyricon - Spinning a Future with Spider Silk
Harnessing synthetic biology to build sustainable biomaterials.
Explore the ProjectOur Motivation
Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to our planet. The construction industry, especially the cement production, accounts for roughly 8% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions (Kajaste & Hurme, 2016). As urbanisation increases, this number is expected to rise, further accelerating global warming.
At Pyricon, we are addressing this challenge by rethinking the materials that build our world. We aim to replace conventional cement with a bio-based alternative, a sustainable biocement built by engineered microbes.
The Problem: Cement’s Carbon Burden
Traditional cement manufacturing is energy-intensive and chemically unavoidable in its CO₂ emissions. Heating limestone to 1450°C emits CO₂ both from fuel combustion and from the calcination reaction itself. Even with renewable energy, around 60% of emissions remain intrinsic to the process.
Current strategies like blending, recycling, and efficiency improvements help but cannot eliminate these chemical emissions. A new material approach is needed.
Our Solution
We engineer Bacillus subtilis to produce spider silk proteins and combine them with Solibacillus silvestris that promote microbially induced calcite precipitation, forming a durable, sustainable biocement. This microbial approach avoids high-temperature processing, directly reducing CO₂ emissions.
🧬 Pyricloning
A PCR-free DNA assembly framework for highly repetitive silk genes, enabling reliable expression and modular design of complex genes.
🕸️ Spider Silk Micro-Framework
We utilise pyriform silk, the spider’s natural “cement”, to form adhesive micro-frameworks that strengthen MICP-based materials.
🏗️ Microbial Biocementation
Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) links mineral particles, enhanced by silk scaffolding for improved cohesion and durability.
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JGU-Mainz: Our solution (2025) [English]
See the Story
JGU-Mainz: Pyricon - Spin the future with us (2025) - Project Promotion [English]
References
- Kajaste, R., & Hurme, M. (2016). Cement industry greenhouse gas emissions – management options and abatement cost. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 4041–4052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.055
