What is self-healing concrete?
Traditional concrete is a very reliable and well-established building material, but it loses its properties when cracked.
In 2015, inventor Henk Jonkers from Delft University of Technology showed an innovative method to repair cracks in concrete using bacteria. The principle of the technology is simple: capsules containing specific bacteria and nutrients for them were added to the concrete. The bacteria were activated as soon as the water hit. Cracked concrete was rebuilt with moisture and filled with limestone produced by the bacteria.
In addition to this biotechnology, there is another alternative from Korean researchers in which capsules of a particular polymer are added to concrete. Under the influence of moisture and sunlight, it also begins to react, swelling and filling the crack.
American scientists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have also presented evidence on developing bio-concrete. In this case, an enzyme is added to react with CO2-releasing calcium carbonate crystals — their properties are similar to concrete. As a result, all the cracks are filled, and the solidity of the concrete strength improves. This method can restore a 1 mm crack in one day.
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Another development by scientists from the University of Colorado is based on the photosynthesis of bacteria. Their bioconcrete comprises a mixture of cyanobacteria – photosynthesising bacteria – gelatin, and sand. They react to water and increase in size to fill any cavities.
