Natural system
Nature Model
biological inspiration
Various
Application
primary function
Global
Location
origin
The Problem
This innovation addresses a key sustainability or performance challenge.
Eco-friendly, enzymatic cement How would nature make cement? Oysters, for example, produce an extremely hardy, glue-like substance to attach to rocks.
Eco-friendly, enzymatic cement How would nature make cement? Oysters, for example, produce an extremely hardy, glue-like substance to attach to rocks. Now, a company called Reefcycle uses natural enzymes, which can be obtained from the waste products of certain crops, to create a kind of similar mineral product. This process makes marine-safe enzymatic cement without needing heat, energy, or depleting resources. It can be done on-site and avoids relying on petroleum in cement production.
Biomimicry Breakdown
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Spiders (various species producing different silk types)
Development of high-performance synthetic spider silk proteins for next-generation materials with exceptional strength and flexibility.
Waterbirds (uropygial gland preen oil)
Cellulotech's chromatogeny process mimics waterbird preen oil by grafting nanoscale fatty acid molecules onto cellulose fibres, making paper and cardboard superhydrophobic while preserving full recyclability and biodegradability.
Golden silk orb-weaver spider (Nephila clavipes)
Spider silk is five times stronger than steel by weight, more elastic than nylon, and biodegradable — yet spiders have never been farmed like silkworms. Bolt Threads and other companies have now synthesised spider silk proteins using yeast fermentation to create the world's highest-performance natural material.
There's a natural world to explore