Mechanical integrity of biomass-based structural materials without polymer extraction

Determine whether PHA-rich biomass can be used directly as a structural composite with sufficient mechanical integrity at habitat-relevant scales by tuning (co-)polymer composition to achieve required ductility, interfacial adhesion, and cohesive bonding between biomass units.

Background

To reduce infrastructure complexity, the authors propose bypassing polymer extraction and using highly accumulating PHA-containing biomass directly as a thermoplastic-like material.

This approach could simplify habitat replication and lower costs, but the achievable mechanical properties at scale remain an open research issue.

References

Whether mechanical integrity at relevant scales is achievable is an open research question, depending in part on whether (co-)polymer composition can be tuned toward materials with sufficient ductility and interfacial adhesion to cohesively bind adjacent biomass units.

— A research roadmap for assessing the feasibility of warming Mars  (2604.02242 - Kite et al., 2 Apr 2026) in Section 6, Alternative architectures that could radically lower costs