Biochemical House: Alternative Low-tech Solutions For Self-sustaining Residential House Building Materials.Case Of Tanzania

Despite receiving heavy rains and being among the top leading countries with numerous natural resources like lakes and rivers in Tanzania,the country suffers from poor access to clean water,low agricultural produce and poor disposal of both liquid and solid wastes which leaves the people at a high risk of exposure to diseases.Various researches have been done to recommend autonomous house as an immediate solution for individual households.However,complete autonomous houses are difficult to implement in the Tanzanian context.This research intends to study low-tech solutions that can be adapted in buildings as a strategy to improve people’s livelihood.The broad perspective of this study advocates the development of a “biochemical low-tech based autonomous house” employing appropriate technologies to improve the shortcomings of the conventional autonomous house that can easily be developed and practiced by majority households in developing countries.The research narrows down to a single technology that borrows concepts from biochemical reactions in nature inspired by termites to create a material for building houses that will improve the housing infrastructural services for Tanzanian households.Laboratory experiments and tests on termite mound soils were carried out to study its properties and mimic its physical,chemical and mechanical properties to develop similar soil as a material for construction.The bio-mimicry of the termites mound soil will produce an alternative material to burnt bricks so as to reduce environmental pollution and loss of biodiversity.After studying the termites’ actions on the soil to create the mound,it was deduced that there is a presence of simple sugars and enzyme cellulase from the digestion of cellulose.Then mimicry was done by addition of hot cassava paste,a starchy crop widely found in Tanzania to create a “bionic brick” as a representative material at a ratio of 1.5%,3%,4.5% and 6% on clay soil where results showed increasing structural strength.However,increasing amount of cassava paste beyond 1.5% was observed to weaken the compressive strength due to swelling.