BENTU transforms aquaculture waste into circular Building Material
BENTU design develops unfired ceramic tile panels from fishpond sludge through alkali-activated geopolymer technology, transforming aquaculture waste from the Pearl River Delta in a circular architecture material system. The project, entitled The Metamorphosis of Mud: From the Collapse of Mulberry-Fish Pond Systems to the Redemption of Circular Materials, examines how traditional ecological knowledge can be reinterpreted through materials research, environmental restoration and modern construction methods.
Historically, the mulberry fishpond system of the Pearl River Delta functioned as a closed-loop agroecology in which mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, fishponds, and nutrient-rich pond mud functioned as interconnected cycles. Industrialized aquaculture has disrupted this relationship, replacing regenerative systems with intensive monoculture fish farming depends on artificial food. As a result, the lake sediment accumulated excess nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals and pathogens, turning what was once a productive ecological resource into a significant environmental burden.
Starting in 2022 in Shunde, Guangdong, BENTU Design began research into converting polluted lake mud into ceramic-based fireless structural panels. The process uses alkali-activated geopolymer technology, which eliminates the need for high-temperature kiln firing typically required in conventional ceramic tile production. Rich in amorphous silica and alumina, lake mud acts as a geopolymer precursor, forming a stable three-dimensional inorganic network when combined with slag, fly ash and alkaline activators.
all images courtesy of BENTU design
Geopolymer panels reframe lake mud as a low-carbon surface
The manufacturing process operates in ambient or low temperature hardening conditions, significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions compared to traditional ceramic firing methods that exceed 1000 degrees Celsius. According to the project’s research, the process reduces carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 300 kg per ton of material produced, while maintaining structural performance suitable for architectural applications, including wall systems, partitions, paving and interior surfaces.
Material development extends beyond technical performance to issues of texture, surface expression and regional identity. The resulting panels retain visible traces of lake sediment through grainy textures, porous surfaces, and earth-toned coloring ranging from charcoal gray to ocher and warm brown. Surface variations are controlled through aggregate grading, mold processing, pigment additions and polishing techniques, allowing the material to maintain tactile and visual continuity with its geographical origins.
Rather than obscuring the source of the material, the project positions lake mud as a visible carrier of environmental memory and local ecological history. Through this transformation, waste sediments become an architectural surface that connects urban construction to regional agricultural systems and material cycles. The project also re-examines the relationship between circular economy principles and municipal ecological knowledge. BENTU design Studio frames the mulberry-fishpond system as an early model of regenerative design, incorporating principles of reuse, recycling, recovery and closed-loop resource management long before the emergence of modern sustainability discourse.
Lake sludge is converted into unfired ceramic tile panels through geopolymer technology
By transforming aquaculture waste into a modular architectural material, the project proposes a new role for regional by-products in construction systems, while reducing reliance on landfill and greenhouse gas emissions. The resulting ceramsite panels function simultaneously as an environmental remediation strategy, material research and architectural surface condition, linking ecological repair with contemporary building production.
aquaculture waste becomes a circular system of architectural material
Contaminated sediment is repurposed into modular structural panels
