Living in a place that is used to getting ice you probably have seen a lot of cracked concrete. As a building material concrete can be very strong and last a long time, but it is prone to damage from weather and the earth's natural shifting. What if it could fix itself?
#HealingFactor
A regular concrete building can last about 100 years in the best of conditions but may require maintenance and repair if cracks appear. Bio-Concrete is able to heal cracks that will happen in the concrete. This saves money and is more environmentally friendly due to less need for repairs. After testing the new Bio-Concrete materials it is believed that structures created using this mixture will be able to last over 200 years.
#HelpingBacteria
This amazing healing factor is due to bacteria that are infused into the concrete mixture. Microbiologist Henry Jonkers designed the mix of bacteria and calcium lactate in 2016. As cracks and other damage occur water finds its way into these defects in the concrete. The water then dissolves a biodegradable plastic shell that surrounds the calcium lactate. Then the calcium lactate activates the bacteria, which can survive for 200 years in its inactive state, and limestone is created as the bacteria eats away at the calcium lactate. This limestone fills the cracks and keeps the concrete structurally safe. In many cases, this process could repair issues before they would normally be found making Bio-Concrete a safer building material.
#PriceTag
As of 2017, the cost of Bio-Concrete was around 239 dollars for a cubic meter, but Henry Jonkers is working on ways to reduce the cost of producing the materials in the mixture to make it comparable to the price of regular concrete. It may be a little more expensive to produce but may end up saving money in the long run due to the reduced need for maintenance.
It's exciting to see new and innovative materials inspired by nature. Bio-Concrete might be only one of many future-changing materials we will see in the coming years.
