Abalone shell, twice as tough as the most high-tech ceramics without their characteristic brittleness, is one material under biomimetic scrutiny.

These days alarming news surrounds us. As our climate destabilizes, catastrophic weather destroys lives and crops. Bloody violence spans the globe as humans desperately strive for resources – oil, food, and land. Where is the hope for humanity's survival?

Hope surrounds us. It is illustrated by a new science known as biomimicry”or biomimetics”in which nature is not a material resource for exploitation, but rather a model and mentor holding the answers to sustainable survival on Earth. Humanity's flawed industrial system is less than 300 years old. In contrast, Earth systems of plants, animals and other organisms have been developing, perfecting, and sustaining themselves since life began. These life systems survive because they follow a set of natural rules: in nature, life is solar powered; every product is 100% recyclable; diversity is critical, and cooperation is crucial. All of earth's organisms face the same survival challenges. The survivors meet the challenges without depleting their resources or fouling their nests.”

Agriculture and Biomimicry:

Our current human agricultural system relies heavily on fields planted with a single, monoculture crop, and 70% of the world's staple crops are annuals requiring yearly replanting. Modern agriculture requires vast inputs of time, energy, and resources while leaving crops exposed to pest infestation, weather disasters, and soil erosion caused by yearly tilling. At The Land Institute (www.landinstitute.org) in Kansas, biomimetic botanists are striving to develop crops grown in a perennial polyculture,”simulating native prairies. Recently developed test plots feature mixed plantings of warm and cool season grains, sunflowers, and legumes. While still in the research phase, this agricultural experiment is meeting with success. The polyculture fields do not require yearly planting or plowing, they fertilize themselves (thanks to the legumes) and are beginning to show good yields of edible grain.

Materials Worth Mimicking:

To manufacture any inorganic material, the industrial model requires mining. Mined materials are then subjected to heat, beat, and treat”: high temperatures, extreme pressures, and strong chemicals. The energy-intensive process yields useful products and unfortunately, toxic byproducts.

In contrast, nature manufactures materials under more benign conditions: at body temperature, under normal pressure, in water, with gentler chemicals. Working within these limits, nature creates materials of complexity and durability surpassing what modern humanity can currently produce.

Abalone shell, twice as tough as the most high-tech ceramics without their characteristic brittleness, is one material under biomimetic scrutiny. The secret to the shell's strength lies in its construction. To build its shell, the abalone starts at a molecular level, creating a sheet of protein that attracts calcium and carbonate dissolved in seawater. The protein template causes these minerals to crystallize into perfectly aligned, incredibly strong microscopic brickwork. Once covered with minerals, the protein sheet acts as a shock-absorbing mortar, and the abalone lays down another layer of protein to continue shell formation. Then, when shell formation is complete, a different protein sheet is deposited, inhibiting additional mineralization. Research into abalone shell formation is inspiring industries that create thin mineral films (for windshields, computer disks, etc), as well as those wishing to prevent mineralization in the pipes of city water systems.

Spider silk is another miraculous material found in nature. The waterproof silk is five times stronger than steel, five times tougher than Kevlar (the lightweight, durable material used in everything from canoes to chainsaw chaps to bulletproof vests), and 30% more elastic than the stretchiest nylon, able to extend to 40% it's length and rebound without damage.  And the chemistry behind spider webs happens under life-friendly conditions, unlike those required for steel and Kevlar. To make steel products, we all know that environmentally costly mining as well as heat, beat, and treat”is necessary. The same holds true for Kevlar, which is made by processing petroleum products in boiling sulfuric acid.  Best of all, spider web is 100% recyclable: spiders will actually eat their own spent webs!

Biomimicry in Durango:

Closer to home, many local business leaders and citizens have begun making biomimetic forays under the tutelage of the Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI). In an effort to mimic nature's ability to turn waste into resources, Ska Brewing's master brewer Jeff Ogden is successfully growing oyster mushrooms on spent brewing grains (www.skabrewing.com). Other ZERI students built a biodigester at the La Boca Institute in Ignacio. A biodigester is a composting chamber in which bacteria digest agricultural wastes while producing methane and other gases. The goal for the La Boca biodigester is to produce combustible fuel to sustainably heat a greenhouse.

To learn more:

For a primer in biomimicry, I recommend Janine Benyus's book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired By Nature or the related TV program The Nature of Things with David Suzuki”on CBC TV (www.cbc.ca). You can also visit the Zero Emissions Research Initiative's website: www.zeri.org. Finally, to see the Harare Eastgate, an amazing Zimbabwe high-rise office building designed to mimic a self-ventilating termite mound, check out www.pearcemccomish.com/eastgate.htm. Take heart in all these hopeful examples!