Living concrete & natural resins

01Overview and value chain

Markers: [EC: EPA environmental product claims / EU REACH chemical registration & Construction Products Regulation / India CSIR-CBRI building-material assessment and IS 2185 standard | OECD: Bio-based materials | Regulator: EPA (USA), REACH (EU)]

Living concrete and natural resins cover two related but distinct routes to displacing petrochemical or high-carbon inputs in construction materials: biology grown directly into a structural material, and bio-based resin chemistry substituted for synthetic binders and adhesives. On the living-materials side, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Living Materials Laboratory embeds photosynthetic cyanobacteria (Synechococcus PCC 7002) in a sand-and-gelatin scaffold; the cyanobacteria biomineralize calcium carbonate as they grow, binding the scaffold into bricks, blocks and trusses without a kiln — a research-stage platform that has also inspired commercial biocement spinoffs elsewhere in this catalog. On the alternative-concrete side, India’s GreenJams BuildTech sells Agrocrete, a patented carbon-negative bio-concrete built from agricultural residues, industrial by-products and the company’s own alkali-activated binder — validated by India’s CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CSIR-CBRI), assessed against IS 2185, and carrying a third-party Environmental Product Declaration with a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of -0.14 kg CO2/kg. Natural-resin chemistry runs alongside both: France’s DRT processes crude sulfate turpentine, a pine-tree byproduct, into Dertophene terpene-phenolic resins used as low-VOC, bio-based tackifiers in hot-melt and solvent-based adhesives and sealants, and Norway’s Kebony furfurylates softwood — impregnating and polymerizing furfuryl alcohol (itself derived from agricultural byproducts such as corn cobs and sugarcane bagasse) inside the wood’s cell walls — to produce decking, siding and cladding that resists moisture, salt air and decay without chemical preservatives.

The key directions of living concrete and natural resins are:

1. Cyanobacteria-biomineralized living building materials: the CU Boulder Living Materials Laboratory grows bricks, blocks and trusses from photosynthetic cyanobacteria embedded in a sand-gelatin scaffold, which biomineralize their own calcium-carbonate binder at ambient temperature; the lab’s broader research agenda includes a net-CO2-storing Portland limestone cement inspired by coccolithophore (calcareous microalgae) biomineralization and self-repairing concrete.
2. Alkali-activated agricultural-residue bio-concrete: GreenJams BuildTech’s Agrocrete (a clay-brick substitute), BINDR (high-strength masonry/plastering binder) and Novastone (a concrete/AAC alternative) are built from agricultural residues and industrial by-products bound by an alkali-activated binder rather than Portland cement — validated by CSIR-CBRI, assessed against IS 2185, and carrying a third-party EPD showing a negative cradle-to-gate carbon footprint.
3. Terpene-phenolic natural resin chemistry: DRT’s Dertophene T105 and T135 resins are produced from crude sulfate turpentine — a pine-tree byproduct of the kraft pulping process — and used as bio-based, low-VOC tackifying resins in hot-melt adhesives (packaging, bookbinding, woodworking, labeling), pressure-sensitive adhesives and sealants (butyl rubber, polyurethane), displacing petrochemical tackifier resins.
4. Furfurylated bio-based modified wood: Kebony impregnates softwood with furfuryl alcohol (derived from agricultural byproducts) and polymerizes it inside the cell walls, permanently modifying the wood’s structure to match tropical hardwood durability and dimensional stability without chemical preservatives — sold as decking, siding, soffit, fascia, handrails, stairs and posts.

Sectoral value chain

[cyanobacteria culture / agricultural residue & industrial byproduct / pine crude sulfate turpentine / furfuryl alcohol feedstock] ──> [biomineralization / alkali activation / resin synthesis / wood impregnation]
                                                                          │
                                                          (structural forming / curing / certification)
                                                                          │
                                                                          ▼
[building / construction end use] <─── [durability & carbon-footprint certification] <─── [molding, blending or impregnation]

Value chain levels

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Cyanobacteria-biomineralized living building material (Cyanobacteria-Biomineralized Living Building Material): the CU Boulder Living Materials Laboratory’s sand-gelatin scaffold embedded with photosynthetic cyanobacteria (Synechococcus PCC 7002), which biomineralize calcium carbonate to bind bricks, blocks and trusses at ambient temperature.
• Alkali-activated agricultural-residue bio-concrete (Alkali-Activated Agricultural-Residue Bio-Concrete): GreenJams BuildTech’s Agrocrete/BINDR/Novastone platform — agricultural residues and industrial by-products bound by a proprietary alkali-activated binder instead of Portland cement, CSIR-CBRI-validated and IS 2185-assessed.
• Terpene-phenolic natural resin (Terpene-Phenolic Natural Resin): DRT’s Dertophene line, produced from crude sulfate turpentine (a kraft-pulping byproduct), used as a bio-based, low-VOC tackifying resin in adhesives and sealants.
• Furfurylated bio-based modified wood (Furfurylated Bio-Based Modified Wood): Kebony’s furfuryl-alcohol impregnation and in-cell-wall polymerization process, converting softwood into a durable, preservative-free construction material.

02US

The US contributes the research frontier of living building materials: the University of Colorado Boulder’s Living Materials Laboratory grows structural bricks from cyanobacteria rather than firing or curing them, and its research agenda extends toward carbon-storing cement and self-repairing concrete.

Cyanobacteria-grown bricks and a coccolithophore-inspired carbon-storing cement research agenda

• CU Boulder Living Materials Laboratory: develops “living building materials” (LBMs) by embedding photosynthetic cyanobacteria (Synechococcus PCC 7002) in a sand-and-gelatin scaffold; the cyanobacteria biomineralize calcium carbonate as they grow, binding the matrix into bricks, blocks and trusses with structural support derived directly from the biological process rather than a kiln or autoclave.
• Research agenda beyond bricks: the lab’s broader program targets a net-CO2-storing Portland limestone cement inspired by the biomineralization behavior of coccolithophores (calcareous microalgae), alongside self-repairing concrete formulations — positioning the lab’s work as an upstream research platform rather than a single finished product.
• EPA environmental product claims: the operative US regulatory context for a biologically-grown or carbon-storing building material is less a dedicated approval pathway and more the general framework governing environmental and carbon-storage claims made about construction products, which a research-stage platform like this has not yet had to formally clear.

03CN

China’s concrete and building-materials sector is large and undergoing its own decarbonization push, but live sourcing this cycle did not confirm a Chinese company-specific living-concrete or natural-resin-for-construction commercial launch on the scale of GreenJams’ Agrocrete, DRT’s Dertophene line, or Kebony’s furfurylated wood, so no Chinese producer is tabled this cycle.

Market context without a confirmed bio-based living-concrete or natural-resin producer

• China’s bio-based resin market context: 2026-dated Chinese market-research publications describe a broader bio-based resin industry built on starch, cellulose, plant oil and lactic-acid feedstocks (PLA, PHA, bio-based polyamides and epoxies), including bio-based epoxy resins from soybean or flaxseed oil, lignin or itaconic acid reaching 40-60% biobased content and carrying UL ECVP or Cradle to Cradle certification — directionally relevant sector context, but these are market-forecast publications describing a category, not a company-specific 2026 living-concrete or construction-resin event.
• Directional context: the same reporting flags nanocellulose and lignin as natural fillers researchers are exploring to strengthen bio-based resins and reduce reliance on synthetic processing aids, and separately notes cellulose-nanomaterial research (including bacterial cellulose and cellulose nanocrystals) aimed at Portland-cement-composite performance improvements with academic authorship spanning Chinese universities — signalling active Chinese research interest in this space even without a confirmed commercial originator; a bio-based living-concrete or construction-resin-specific Chinese producer is a candidate for a future enrichment pass.

04EU

The EU supplies the natural-resin half of this Industry through two established, commercially operating processors: France’s DRT converts a pine-tree pulping byproduct into bio-based adhesive resins, and Norway’s Kebony chemically modifies softwood into a durable, preservative-free construction material.

DRT’s Dertophene terpene-phenolic resins and Kebony’s furfurylated wood

• DRT (Dax, France): processes crude sulfate turpentine — a byproduct of the kraft pulping process — into the Dertophene line of terpene-phenolic resins; Dertophene T135 is a colorless-to-slightly-yellowish resin with high Delta-3-carene content used as a bio-based solvent alternative in applications such as dissolving asphaltenes and organic residues, while Dertophene T105 is a light-colored, low-VOC resin compatible with acrylics, elastomers and waxes, formulated to enhance adhesion and tack in EVA and styrenic-block-copolymer hot melts, pressure-sensitive adhesives, and butyl-rubber and polyurethane sealants.
• Kebony (Skien, Norway; founded 2008): furfurylates softwood by impregnating it with furfuryl alcohol — itself derived from agricultural byproducts such as corn cobs and sugarcane bagasse — and polymerizing it inside the wood’s cell walls, permanently changing the wood’s chemistry to achieve durability and dimensional stability comparable to tropical hardwood without chemical preservatives; sold as decking, siding, soffit, fascia, handrails, stairs and posts, with demonstrated performance in harsh coastal climates (salt air, moisture, seasonal weather).
• EU REACH & Construction Products Regulation: REACH governs the chemical registration of furfuryl alcohol and terpene-phenolic resin substances placed on the EU market, while the EU’s Construction Products Regulation sets the performance-declaration framework both companies’ finished construction products are placed under.

05Leading companies and research institutes

06Tech stack and innovations

The living-concrete-and-natural-resins stack spans two structurally different approaches — biology grown directly into a load-bearing material, and bio-based resin chemistry substituted into existing adhesive and wood-treatment processes — unified by the goal of displacing high-carbon or petrochemical inputs from construction.

1. Cyanobacteria-biomineralized living building materials:
   • The CU Boulder Living Materials Laboratory’s cyanobacteria-in-sand-gelatin scaffold biomineralizes its own calcium-carbonate binder as it grows, eliminating the kiln step entirely rather than lowering its temperature or substituting its fuel — a structurally different decarbonization route than mass-balance or SCM-substitution approaches used elsewhere in cement chemistry.
   • The lab’s parallel research into a coccolithophore-inspired, net-CO2-storing Portland limestone cement signals an ambition to bring the same biomineralization principle to mainstream cement chemistry rather than keep it confined to standalone bricks.
2. Alkali-activated agricultural-residue bio-concrete:
   • GreenJams’ Agrocrete/BINDR/Novastone platform replaces Portland cement’s binder chemistry with an alkali-activated reaction built on agricultural residues and industrial by-products, rather than blending a bio-based additive into a conventional cement mix.
   • Third-party validation — CSIR-CBRI assessment, IS 2185 compliance, and an Environmental Product Declaration showing a negative cradle-to-gate carbon footprint — gives the platform code-referenceable credibility uncommon among early-stage alternative-binder systems.
3. Terpene-phenolic natural resin chemistry:
   • DRT’s Dertophene resins substitute a bio-based, low-VOC terpene-phenolic chemistry for petrochemical tackifying resins in hot-melt, pressure-sensitive and solvent-based adhesive formulations — a drop-in substitution at the formulation level rather than a new adhesive category.
   • Sourcing crude sulfate turpentine as a kraft-pulping byproduct ties the resin’s bio-based credential to existing pulp-and-paper industrial symbiosis rather than dedicated biomass cultivation.
4. Furfurylated bio-based modified wood:
   • Kebony’s furfurylation process polymerizes furfuryl alcohol inside softwood’s cell walls rather than coating or surface-treating it, permanently changing the wood’s chemistry to reach tropical-hardwood-grade durability without the chemical preservatives conventional treated wood relies on.
   • Sourcing furfuryl alcohol from agricultural byproducts (corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse) gives the process a renewable-feedstock profile distinct from petrochemical wood-preservative chemistry.

07Value chains and production pipelines

Industrial pipeline of living concrete and natural resins (from biological/agricultural feedstock to certified construction product)

┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Feedstock sourcing     │ ───> │ 2. Biological growth /    │
│                            │      │    chemical synthesis     │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
                                                  │
                                                  ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Certification &        │ <─── │ 3. Structural forming     │
│    testing                 │      │                            │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
              │
              ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Construction            │ ───> │ 6. Carbon and durability  │
│    application             │      │    fate                   │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘

Stage 1: Feedstock sourcing

Cyanobacteria cultures feed the CU Boulder Living Materials Laboratory’s bricks; agricultural residues and industrial by-products feed GreenJams’ Agrocrete in India; crude sulfate turpentine (a kraft-pulping byproduct) feeds DRT’s Dertophene resins in France; agricultural-byproduct-derived furfuryl alcohol feeds Kebony’s wood modification in Norway.

Stage 2: Biological growth / chemical synthesis

Cyanobacteria biomineralize calcium carbonate within a sand-gelatin scaffold; agricultural residues bind through GreenJams’ proprietary alkali-activated reaction; crude sulfate turpentine is chemically converted into terpene-phenolic Dertophene resin; furfuryl alcohol polymerizes inside softwood’s cell walls under Kebony’s furfurylation process.

Stage 3: Structural forming

Biomineralized scaffolds are cast into bricks, blocks and trusses; GreenJams forms Agrocrete/Novastone into masonry blocks and BINDR into plastering compound; DRT blends Dertophene resin into hot-melt, pressure-sensitive and solvent-based adhesive and sealant formulations; Kebony cures and finishes furfurylated timber into decking, siding and cladding profiles.

Stage 4: Certification & testing

GreenJams’ Agrocrete is validated by CSIR-CBRI, assessed against IS 2185, and carries a third-party Environmental Product Declaration; Kebony’s furfurylated wood is tested for dimensional stability and durability class; DRT’s resins are tested for VOC content and compatibility with acrylics, elastomers and waxes; the CU Boulder platform remains at the research-validation stage.

Stage 5: Construction application

Living-material bricks, blocks and trusses; Agrocrete masonry and Novastone concrete-alternative blocks; hot-melt, pressure-sensitive and solvent-based adhesives and sealants formulated with Dertophene resin; Kebony decking, siding, soffit, fascia, handrails, stairs and posts installed in coastal and other demanding climates.

Stage 6: Carbon and durability fate

Biomineralized calcium carbonate stores carbon permanently within the structural material; Agrocrete’s cradle-to-gate footprint of -0.14 kg CO2/kg and roughly 1 tonne of CO2 sequestered per tonne of material represent a net carbon sink; DRT’s low-VOC resin profile reduces formulation-stage emissions; Kebony’s extended service life without chemical preservatives reduces the replacement-driven emissions of conventional treated or tropical hardwood.