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MUSSEL-INSPIRED ADHESIVEPRODUCTS IN DEVELOPMENTBlue mussels (Mytilus edulis) produce a biodegradable, waterproofadhesive that attaches to almost any surface, even Teflon ® . Mostmanufactured adhesives are not as versatile and contain toxic compoundslike formaldehyde. Aided by Terrapin’s competitive analysis services,researchers at the chemical company SyntheZyme are developing awater-resistant adhesive inspired by the mussel. The adhesive is madeof proteins with chemically “sticky” ends that crosslink biopolymersinto a strong matrix, chemically analogous to the mussel adhesive. Italso uses a biological catalyst to achieve a low-energy synthesis. Thepolymers are renewable, nontoxic, and biodegradable. With the globaladhesive and sealant market projected to reach $43 billion by 2020,and with demand increasing for nontoxic adhesives, this product couldhave a dramatic impact on the market. 42 Mussel adhesives have alreadyinspired PureBond ® , a commercially successful glue used in wood panelmanufacturing. 43SUPERWICKING MATERIALSConventional vapor-compression air conditioners consume a great dealof energy and rely on refrigerants that are environmentally destructivewhen released. Terrapin advised Dr. Chunlei Guo’s team at the Universityof Rochester on the market demand for their bioinspired superwickingmaterial technology and assisted them in securing funds to developenergy-efficient indirect evaporative cooling. Leaves of the plants Ruelliadevosiana and Alocasia odora have microscopic surface textures thattrap water molecules, causing droplets to spread across the surface. 36Mimicking this superwicking property, the research team fabricatedmaterials with nano- and microscale features that wick large volumesof water, even up vertical surfaces. Such materials will increase theevaporation efficiency of cooling devices and, unlike the porous materialsused in conventional evaporative coolers, they resist biofouling. Theresearch team predicts a five-fold decrease in the energy consumed tocool buildings with this novel air conditioner.BIOCEMENT BRICKSDue to the energy-intensive firing process, clay bricks account for anestimated 1.2% of the world’s anthropogenic CO 2emissions. 44 NorthCarolina-based biotech startup bioMASON has introduced Biocementbricks that are “grown” using bacteria. Combining sand, bacteria,water, nutrients, and nitrogen and calcium sources together in a mold,bioMASON creates bricks that are comparable in strength to traditionalbricks. The bacteria cause calcium carbonate to precipitate betweensediment grains, effectively cementing the mixture together into ahardened brick. 45 This process takes place at ambient temperature usinglocally-sourced materials and can occur on-site, drastically reducing thecarbon emissions and embodied energy of the bricks. 46 To advance thistechnology, bioMASON received an SBIR Phase I grant from the NationalScience Foundation and is collaborating with the BiomanufacturingTraining and Education Center at North Carolina State University toadvance the technology. 4720Tapping into Nature