This School Was Built from Sugarcane Waste. It Might Change Construction Forever

Bricks made from sugarcane waste have constructed a school in India — and are building new vision for construction.

by Alexandra Gerea
April 25, 2025

ZME Science 

At Panchsheel Inter College in Uttar Pradesh, students now study inside a new school wing built not from concrete or traditional brick, but from sugarcane. Or rather, from the fibrous residue that sugarcane leaves behind — bagasse — transformed into a building material called Sugarcrete.

The innovation was born at the University of East London (UEL) and its creators argue it could reshape how buildings are made and how the planet pays for it.

Image credits: UEL.


The Sugarcrete story started at UEL’s Sustainability Research Institute. Here, researchers like Alan Chandler and Armor Gutierrez Rivas began experimenting with turning sugarcane waste into something solid and scalable.

Sugarcrete combines bagasse with sand and mineral binders to produce lightweight, interlocking blocks. According to its developers, it’s not just eco-friendly — it’s remarkably effective. Lab tests show Sugarcrete has strong fire resistance, acoustic dampening, and thermal insulation properties. It’s been tested to industrial standards and passed with flying colors. In terms of climate impact, the material is a standout. It’s six times less carbon-intensive than standard bricks, and twenty times less than concrete, by some estimates.

“Using only 30 percent of the world bagasse production, Sugarcrete could replace the traditional brick industry entirely, offering a potential saving of 1.08 billion tonnes of

Yet the real excitement doesn’t only come from Sugarcrete is, but how it’s made and used.

“It is purposely ‘open access’ in order to establish partnerships to produce new bio-waste-based construction materials where sugarcane is grown,” said the research team. Unlike conventional building materials locked behind patents, Sugarcrete can be made by anyone with the right ingredients and basic manufacturing tools. That choice, they argue, decentralizes construction innovation, allowing small-scale producers — especially in the Global South — to lead.

It’s already being put to the test

Image credits: UEL.


Architects from the global design firm Grimshaw helped shape Sugarcrete’s evolution. They introduced an interlocking block design — modeled on 17th-century masonry techniques — that allows slabs to span three meters without mortar. A different version, one with mortar, was used to build a school in India.

Working with Chemical Systems Technologies (CST) in India, the UEL team set up the first Sugarcrete production facility using local materials. Together with students from the Delhi School of Architecture and Planning, they helped design and build the new wing of Panchsheel Inter College.

“This project has taught us invaluable lessons about how Sugarcrete can enable communities to transition to sustainable building practices,” said Sugarcrete co-creator Alan Chandler, Associate of UEL’s Sustainability Research Institute (SRI).


“While we have learned how easy the blocks are to use, we’ve also identified challenges, such as ensuring the availability of materials and skills required for certain lime-based renders. With the dedication of our local partners, we are taking significant steps toward revolutionising construction and making low-carbon alternatives accessible and practical.”

Can this be scaled?

While lab tests show promising results for fire resistance, compression, and insulation, the true measure of Sugarcrete’s viability will come from how well it performs year after year in buildings like the new school in India.

If the material can withstand real-world conditions over time — rain, heat, humidity, and daily wear — without crumbling, warping, or losing strength, it has great potential.

With India producing 400 million tons of sugarcane annually, there’s no shortage of raw material. The potential for large-scale positive social and environmental impact is immense, the researchers emphasize.


It’s not just India, either.

Every year, the world produces nearly two billion tons of sugarcane, generating some 600 million tons of bagasse waste. Traditionally burned or discarded, this material could become the cornerstone of a new construction paradigm.

For now, the school is a real-life prototype. The bricks are silent, but the message is loud. Sustainable futures may rise from what we once threw away.




Alexandra Gerea

Alexandra is a naturalist who is firmly in love with our planet and the environment. When she's not writing about climate or animal rights, you can usually find her doing field research or reading the latest nutritional studies.

Geoengineering technique could cool planet using existing aircraft

SCENTIFIC FICTION AKA GREENWASHING

University College London

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A technique to cool the planet, in which particles are added to the atmosphere to reflect sunlight, would not require developing special aircraft but could be achieved using existing large planes, according to a new modelling study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

Previously, most research has assumed that the technique, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, would be deployed in the tropics and so would require specially designed aircraft capable of flying at altitudes of 20km or more to inject the particles.

For the new study, published in the journal Earth’s Future, scientists ran simulations of different aerosol injection strategies and concluded that adding particles 13km above the polar regions could meaningfully cool the planet, albeit much less effectively than at higher altitudes closer to the equator. Commercial jets such as the Boeing 777F could reach this altitude.

Lead author Alistair Duffey, a PhD student at UCL’s Department of Earth Sciences, said: “Solar geoengineering comes with serious risks and much more research is needed to understand its impacts. However, our study suggests that it is easier to cool the planet with this particular intervention than we thought. This has implications for how quickly stratospheric aerosol injection could be started and by who.

“There are downsides to this polar low-altitude strategy. At this lower altitude, stratospheric aerosol injection is about one third as effective. That means that we would need to use three times the amount of aerosol to have the same effect on global temperature, increasing side effects such as acid rain. The strategy would also be less effective at cooling the tropics, where the direct vulnerability to warming is highest.

“However, climate change is a serious problem and it is vital to understand all our options, so that policy-makers have the evidence they need to make informed decisions.”

The researchers ran simulations in the UK’s Earth System Model 1 (UKESM1), a computer model of the climate, to estimate the impact of stratospheric aerosol injection. By adding sulphur dioxide – which goes on to form tiny reflective particles – at different altitudes, latitudes and seasons, they were able to quantify the effectiveness of different deployment strategies.

They said that low-altitude deployment of stratospheric aerosol injection could only work if it was done close to the Earth’s polar regions. To be effective, particles need to be created in the stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere above the top of most clouds, and this layer is closer to the ground nearer to the poles.

In the troposphere – the lowermost layer of the atmosphere – any aerosol particles would disappear quickly as they are caught up in clouds and rained out. However, the stratosphere is dry, stable and free of clouds, meaning that added particles would stay up for months or years.

The researchers estimated that injecting 12 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide a year at 13 km in the local spring and summer of each hemisphere would cool the planet by around 0.6°C. This is roughly the same amount added to the atmosphere by the eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano in 1991, which also produced an observable dip in global temperatures.

In the simulation, the sulphur dioxide was added at latitudes of 60 degrees north and south of the equator. That is roughly the latitude of Oslo in Norway and Anchorage in Alaska; in the south, that would be below the southernmost tip of South America.

This strategy is not as effective as injecting sulphur dioxide at 20km because the particles do not stay in the stratosphere for as long, i.e., for only a few months at 13km rather than for up to several years at 20km.

However, a low-altitude strategy using existing aircraft could begin sooner than a high-altitude approach, with the researchers noting an earlier study finding that designing and certifying high-flying aircraft might take a decade and cost several billion dollars.

Co-author Wake Smith, a Lecturer at Yale School of the Environment, part of Yale University, said: “Although pre-existing aircraft would still require a substantial modification programme to be able to function as deployment tankers, this route would be much quicker than designing a novel high-flying aircraft.”

The strategy is not a quick fix – any stratospheric aerosol injection would need to be introduced gradually, and reduced gradually, to avoid catastrophic impacts from sudden warming or cooling. Nor would it eliminate the need for emissions reductions.

Co-author Dr Matthew Henry, of the University of Exeter, said: “Stratospheric aerosol injection is certainly not a replacement for greenhouse gas emission reductions as any potential negative side effects increase with the amount of cooling: we can only achieve long-term climate stability with net zero.”

The study received funding from the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

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Journal

Earth's Future

 

‘Wood you believe it?’ FAU engineers fortify wood with eco-friendly nano-iron

Research breakthrough using nano-iron technology results in stronger wood for sustainable materials

Florida Atlantic University

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A microCT image that shows the distribution of the iron mineral in the wood cell wall (in turquoise).

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Credit: Florida Atlantic University

Scientists and engineers are developing high-performance materials from eco-friendly sources like plant waste. A key component, lignocellulose – found in wood and many plants – can be easily collected and chemically modified to improve its properties.

By using these kinds of chemical changes, researchers are creating advanced materials and new ways to design and build sustainably. With about 181.5 billion tons of wood produced globally each year, it’s one of the largest renewable material sources.

Researchers from the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University, and collaborators from the University of Miami and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, wanted to find out if adding extremely hard minerals at the nanoscale could make the walls of wood cells stronger – without making the wood heavy, expensive or bad for the environment. Few studies have investigated how treated wood performs at different scales, and none have successfully strengthened entire pieces of wood by incorporating inorganic minerals directly into the cell walls.

The research team focused on a special type of hardwood known as ring-porous wood, which comes from broad-leaf trees like oak, maple, cherry and walnut. These trees feature large, ring-shaped vessels in the wood that transport water from the roots to the leaves. For the study, researchers used red oak, a common hardwood in North America, and introduced an iron compound into the wood through a simple chemical reaction. By mixing ferric nitrate with potassium hydroxide, they created ferrihydrite, an iron oxide mineral commonly found in soil and water.

Results of the study, published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, revealed that a simple, cost-effective chemical method using a safe mineral called nanocrystalline iron oxyhydroxide can strengthen the tiny cell walls within wood while adding only a small amount of extra weight. Although the internal structure became more durable, the wood’s overall behavior – such as how it bends or breaks – remained largely unchanged. This is likely because the treatment weakened the connections between individual wood cells, affecting how the material holds together on a larger scale.

The findings suggest that, with the right chemical treatment, it’s possible to enhance the strength of wood and other plant-based materials without increasing their weight or harming the environment. These bio-based materials could one day replace traditional construction materials like steel and concrete in applications such as tall buildings, bridges, furniture and flooring.

“Wood, like many natural materials, has a complex structure with different layers and features at varying scales. To truly understand how wood bears loads and eventually fails, it’s essential to examine it across these different levels,” said Vivian Merk, Ph.D., senior author and an assistant professor in the FAU Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, the FAU Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the FAU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “To test our hypothesis – that adding tiny mineral crystals to the cell walls would strengthen them – we employed several types of mechanical testing at both the nanoscale and the macroscopic scale.”

For the study, researchers used advanced tools like atomic force microscopy (AFM) to examine the wood at a very small scale, allowing them to measure properties such as stiffness and elasticity. Specifically, they employed a technique called AM-FM (Amplitude Modulation – Frequency Modulation), which vibrates the AFM tip at two different frequencies. One frequency generates detailed surface images, while the other measures the material’s elasticity and stickiness. This method gave them a precise view of how the wood’s cell walls were altered after being treated with minerals.

Additionally, the team conducted nanoindentation tests within a scanning electron microscope (SEM), where tiny probes were pressed into the wood to measure its response to force in different areas. To round out their analysis, they performed standard mechanical tests – such as bending both untreated and treated wood samples – to evaluate their overall strength and how they broke under stress.

“By looking at wood at different levels – from the microscopic structures inside the cell walls all the way up to the full piece of wood – we were able to learn more about how to chemically improve natural materials for real-world use,” said Merk.

This combination of small- and large-scale testing helped the researchers understand how the treatment affected both the fine details inside the cell walls and the overall strength of the wood.

“This research marks a significant advancement in sustainable materials science and a meaningful stride toward eco-friendly construction and design,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., the dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “By reinforcing natural wood through environmentally conscious and cost-effective methods, our researchers are laying the groundwork for a new generation of bio-based materials that have the potential to replace traditional materials like steel and concrete in structural applications. The impact of this work reaches far beyond the field of engineering – it contributes to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, cut down on waste, and embrace sustainable, nature-inspired solutions for everything from buildings to large-scale infrastructure.”

Study co-authors are Steven A. Soini, a Ph.D. graduate from the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science and FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science; Inam Lalani, a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami; Matthew L. Maron, Ph.D., a doctoral researcher at the University of Miami; David Gonzalez, a graduate student in the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science; Hassan Mahfuz, Ph.D., a professor in the FAU Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering; and Neus Domingo-Marimon, Ph.D., senior R&D staff scientist, group leader for the Functional Atomic Force Microscopy Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

- FAU -

A microCT image that shows the distribution of the iron mineral in the wood cell wall (in turquoise).

A biomodal atomic force microscopy (AFM) instrument used by the researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

Credit

Steven A. Soini, Florida Atlantic University

About FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science:

The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science is internationally recognized for cutting-edge research and education in the areas of computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), computer engineering, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, civil, environmental and geomatics engineering, mechanical engineering, and ocean engineering. Research conducted by the faculty and their teams expose students to technology innovations that push the current state-of-the art of the disciplines. The College research efforts are supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Education (DOEd), the State of Florida, and industry. The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science offers degrees with a modern twist that bear specializations in areas of national priority such as AI, cybersecurity, internet-of-things, transportation and supply chain management, and data science. New degree programs include Master of Science in AI (first in Florida), Master of Science and Bachelor in Data Science and Analytics, and the new Professional Master of Science and Ph.D. in computer science for working professionals. For more information about the College, please visit eng.fau.edu. 

 

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, Florida Atlantic serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the Southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, Florida Atlantic embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. Florida Atlantic is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report, and holds the designation of “R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Florida Atlantic shares this status with less than 5% of the nearly 4,000 universities in the United States. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

 

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Journal

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

DOI

10.1021/acsami.4c22384 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Multiscale Mechanical Characterization of Mineral-Reinforced Wood Cell Walls

 

Don’t resent your robot vacuum cleaner for its idle hours – work it harder!

Computer scientists have reprogrammed a Roomba to perform four new tasks, showcasing how domestic robots can be harnessed during their downtime to make our lives easier.

University of Bath

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Domestic robots, such as robot vacuum cleaners, spend most of their day idle - researchers propose ways to work them harder to make our own lives easier.

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Credit: Adwait Sharma & Yoshiaki Shiokawa, University of Bath

At a time when we run ourselves ragged to meet society’s expectations of productivity, performance and time optimisation, is it right that our robot vacuum cleaners and other smart appliances should sit idle for most of the day?

Computer scientists at the University of Bath in the UK think not. In a new paper, they propose over 100 ways to tap into the latent potential of our robotic devices. The researchers say these devices could be reprogrammed to perform helpful tasks around the home beyond their primary functions, keeping them physically active during their regular downtime.

New functions could include playing with the cat, watering plants, carrying groceries from car to kitchen, delivering breakfast in bed and closing windows when it rains.

For their study – presented today at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, the premier international conference of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) – the researchers identified 100 functions that domestic cleaning robots could, with some fine tuning, perform during idle periods. They then demonstrated the technical feasibility of working robots harder by reprogramming a Roomba (a popular robot vacuum cleaner) to perform the following four functions:

1. Mobile wireless charger: The robot, fitted with a holder, charged a phone, navigating the home to find the phone user when mobile charging was needed.
2. Workout projector: Equipped with a projector, the robot displayed workout videos on a wall. When it was time for floor exercises, it seamlessly shifted the projection to the ceiling, ensuring uninterrupted viewing.
3. Home monitor: The robot monitored the home remotely, providing live video and task control, such as observing the oven while the user watched and controlled it.
4. Work-status signpost: Fitted with a screen signalling 'meeting in progress,' the robot could be sent to a specific location (such as outside a room) to deter disturbances.

Yoshiaki Shiokawa, first author of the study and a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at Bath, said: “Mobile domestic robots, like robot vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers, are perceived as limited, single-task devices but there is a strong argument that they are under-used for practical tasks. For most of the day, they sit idle.

“We should be extending their utility beyond their primary tasks by programming them to physically navigate the home to perform a range of additional functions. Just think how much more efficiently households would run if Roombas could be converted into household assistants.

“Our study proved that after making minimal adjustments, a Roomba can serve multiple roles around the home.”

Untapped potential

Prior work has investigated how stationary smart devices (such as smart speakers, thermostats, or security cameras) can perform additional tasks when idle, like updating software or processing information.

Researchers have also explored how robots can signal they are powered on and ready for action through subtle cues, such as having lights that fade in and out or gentle movement, even when they are not actively performing a task.

But the new study is believed to be the first where scientists have investigated the untapped potential of domestic robot’s mobility, systematically exploring how a device's idle time can be repurposed for diverse, value-adding interactions that cover home maintenance, on-demand assistance and pet care.

The range of tasks proposed for future mobile robots would be made possible by developing a series of robot-compatible bases (for instance of different heights), extendable arms and attachable cart.

With the right extensions and attachments, the researchers suggest that robots could immediately undertake some of the proposed new tasks, such as delivering mobile light therapy for individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or reminding users to take their medication and schedule medical appointments. Other concepts, like using robots to predict users' needs based on behavioural patterns, are more aspirational.

Robots on the rise

Domestic robots such as vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers are growing in popularity and expected to see annual market growth of 18.8% by 2028. The authors of the new study found that on average, a robot vacuum cleaner cleans for just one hour and 47 minutes every day.

Study co-author and supervisor Dr Adwait Sharma said: “Idle time presents unique opportunities for value-adding interactions and it aligns with the growing need for adaptable robots and integrated systems that can seamlessly fit into our daily lives. A robot vacuum could, for instance, use its idle time to monitor home security, water the plants or assist an older person to stand from a sitting position. These tasks tap into the robot’s advanced sensors, as well as its mobility.

Addition function proposed by the study’s authors for tomorrow’s robotic devices – in consultation with 12 global experts with extensive knowledge of robots and AI – include: searching for lost items; managing smart devices, for instance by changing a TV channel; assisting a user in taking a family photo; scanning the fridge and suggesting items to purchase; entertaining children; playing a card game; interacting with a pet; cleaning pet litter boxes and bowls; detecting unusual sounds and navigating within the home to inspect the situation; checking if doors are locked; cooking in parallel with a user; wiping a table; clearing and sorting food waste while a meal is being prepared; notifying family members when a meal is ready by knocking on doors; organising items and tidying up, for instance toys; moving plants for sunlight; clearing paths and alerting users to tripping hazards; receiving and delivering packages when the user is busy.

The research team also included Dr. Aditya Shekhar Nittala, Asst. Prof. at the University of Calgary (Canada), alongside master’s student Winnie Chen and Professor Jason Alexander from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bath.

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DOI

10.1145/3706598.3714266 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Beyond Vacuuming: How Can We Exploit Domestic Robots' Idle Time?

Article Publication Date

25-Apr-2025

 

Enhanced DLP-based one-step 3D printing of multifunctional magnetic soft robot

Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd

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(a) Schematic of the multi-material one-step printing process, demonstrating the sequential switching of three different resin tanks during printing to achieve composite structures in a single step. (b) Illustration of the curing process of resin containing magnetic particles under UV light. (c) SEM image of the cross-section of a printed sample, indicating uniform layer height and stable printing. (d)EDS image of the printed sample, depicting the elemental distribution across the sample's cross-section.

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Credit: Jiadao Wang, State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University.

In a research paper, scientists from the Tsinghua University proposed a novel enhanced Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing technology, capable of printing composite magnetic structures with different material sin a single step. Furthermore, a soft robot with a hard magnetic material-superparamagnetic material composite was designed and printed.

The new research paper, published Feb. 26 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, introduces a soft robot based on DLP 3D printing technology, which presents extensive potential for the design and manufacturing of multifunctional soft robots.

According to Wang, "various methods are available for fabricating 2D or 3D magnetic structures. However, traditional processes like mold-assisted forming and UV lithography are restricted by mold shapes and material types, posing challenges in fabricating complex magnetic structures. These methods demand uniform composition throughout the structure, complicating the creation of multifunctional magnetic structures with multiple materials. While multi-step assembly and material bonding techniques can combine different materials for various applications, they struggle with ensuring the size range and precision of the fabricated structures." Based on these problems, Wang, the author of this study, proposed introduces an advanced DLP technique. This method enables the fabrication of composite magnetic structures comprising different materials in a single printing process. Utilizing this technique, we fabricated various composite structures, including magnetic soft-hard material composites, gradient composites with different concentrations of magnetic materials, and hard magnetic-superparamagnetic composites.

Wang said this study introduces innovative aspects and implementation principles of multi-material one-step 3D printing for magnetically driven soft structures. It includes mechanical and magnetic characterization of 3D printed structures, as well as demonstration of sample applications. The design and verification of soft robot composed of hard magnetic materials and superparamagnetic materials are introduced in detail, with emphasis on the distribution of magnetic domains and the thermal effects of superparamagnetic materials. Evaluate the ground maneuverability of these soft robots and demonstrate their ability to overcome obstacles and capture and transport objects. In addition, the robots' swimming ability in a liquid environment was examined and their swimming posture was analyzed using a multi-physics coupled simulation.

The author indicates that after addressing issues such as the adhesion between high-concentration magnetic structures and release films, the reduction in effective curing depth, and the sedimentation of magnetic particles, and after undergoing biocompatibility tests, this research may be applicable to the design of capsule robots with drug delivery capabilities, transporting drug particles to wound sites in biological tissues.

Authors of the paper include Zhaoxin Li, Ding Weng, Lei Chen, Yuan Ma, Zili Wang, Jiadao Wang.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No. 52275200) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No. 52205312).

The paper, “Enhanced DLP-Based One-Step 3D Printing of Multifunctional Magnetic Soft Robot” was published in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems on Feb 26, 2025, at DOI: 10.34133/cbsystems.0215.

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Journal

Cyborg and Bionic Systems