The cyanobacteria use sunlight, water, and air to make new material and minerals, which get stored inside the hydrogel.
The smart design spreads light and nutrients evenly, helping the bacteria stay active for over a year, it avoids the ammonia/urea waste produced by some ureolytic mineralization methods.

This tech could shake up how we trap carbon long-term.
It's energy-efficient and could be used in architectural applications (for example, facade coatings and building envelopes) and in experimental installations.
The material has been demonstrated and monitored in exhibition installations (Venice and Milan), where teams observed its performance in real-world-like conditions.