Sakai says the process could be used to make edible makeshift housing for disasters. “For example, if food cannot be delivered to evacuees, they could eat makeshift beds made out of food cement,” he said.
Ever dreamed of having a gingerbread house like Hansel and Gretel?
In the near future, edible houses may no longer just be found in fairy tales.
Tokyo University researchers Kota Machida and Yuya Sakai have developed a technology to transform food waste into potentially edible “cement” for construction use.
It’s the world’s first process for making cement entirely from food waste. The researchers say the tensile, or bending, strength of their product is nearly quadruple that of ordinary concrete.
“Our ultimate hope is that this cement replaces plastic and cement products, which have worse environmental impacts,” said Machida.
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