TU Graz explores turning Lake Neusiedl mud into building materials

Students at Graz University of Technology are studying how mud and reeds from Lake Neusiedl could be used in construction, ORF reported. The project is being carried out with Forschung Burgenland, a research organisation, and the state of Burgenland.

The lake’s sediment could be used to make bricks, cooling walls, decorative elements and plaster, according to TU Graz researcher Urs Hirschberg and Forschung Burgenland managing director Martin Zloklikovits. The sediment is removed during maintenance work by Seemanagement Burgenland, the organisation responsible for managing the lake.

Students have used 3D printing to turn different lake sediments into building materials. Their installation, titled “Schilfraum,” opens at the Wander Bertoni open-air museum in Winden, in Burgenland’s Neusiedl am See district. It shows how the materials might be used to build a rest area, a birdwatching hut or a pavilion.

The project grew out of a search for sustainable uses for the lake’s mud and reeds, Zloklikovits said. Last year, 60,000 cubic metres of mud and 10,000 cubic metres of old reeds were removed from the lake.

Forschung Burgenland plans to use both materials in a small model house made from regional materials, which it aims to build in 2027. The house is intended to store more carbon dioxide over the long term than is released during its construction.

Burgenland state councillor Daniela Winkler said using reeds and mud as building materials could create new opportunities for the region and bring economic benefits.