For generations, concrete has
been used as a building material in the world of construction, used in
everything from roads to building bridges. When constructed correctly and under
the right conditions, the structures last for 50 to 100 or more years. But no
matter whether the concrete is reinforced or preserved, it will eventually
crack with time due to rain, wind, and shifts in the earth's crust. It is a common
problem found in structures that allows debris and moisture to creep
inside and slowly eat away the reinforced steel and finally crumbling the
structure.
But,
a renowned microbiologist, Henk Jonkers introduced a new kind of concrete which
has self-healing properties and might just prove immune to decay, that is, bio
concrete.
To
heal cracks in the concrete, Jonkers chose bacteria, which is able to produce
limestone on a biological basis. The concrete can actually rebuild itself as
moisture enters the cracks, gaps, and holes. The moisture disintegrates the
biodegradable plastic shell of calcium lactate, awakening the bacteria to
produce limestone. The limestone expands to fill the cracks and therefore
rebuilds the structure from inside out, sealing the initial point where the
crack began.
This
bio concrete has the ability to save billions on annual maintenance fees when
used in the construction of buildings, bridges, tunnels, and roads. At the present
scenario, a cubic meter of bio concrete costs about 200 Euros or approximately
239 US Dollars. Jonkers is hoping that his method of encapsulating bacteria and
calcium lactate will reduce the cost by fifty percent, causing the bio concrete
to cost slightly more than traditional concrete.
Submitted
by - Swadhenshree Sahu
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