The idea of self repairing concrete could be a real boon to cash strapped municipalities that are constantly spending limited budgets on fixing damaged concrete on city streets.
While this isn’t the first attempt at designing self-repairing concrete, this is a major breakthrough that could bring the idea into the mainstream. Older attempts at developing biological, self-repairing concrete required water to fill in the cracks that would then harden. This new discovery which was published in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal laces the concrete with biological microbes that react to photosynthesis. In other words, the microbes harden into super hard filler for the cracks.
This self-repairing concrete technology could be extra useful for locations near sea water, where the salty air and water can cause catastrophic corrosion in bridges and boardwalks.
Self-Repairing Concrete
This New Bio-Concrete Compound Needs Only Sunlight to Patch Up Cracks
Trend Themes
1. Self-repairing Concrete - Opportunity for developing self-repairing concrete technology that uses biological microbes activated by photosynthesis to fill in cracks without the need for water.
2. Mainstream Adoption of Self-repairing Concrete - Chance to bring self-repairing concrete into the mainstream, benefiting cash-strapped municipalities in saving costs on constant repairs to damaged concrete infrastructure.
3. Corrosion-resistant Concrete - Potential for developing concrete with self-repairing properties to combat the corrosive effects of salty air and water on bridges and boardwalks near sea water.
Industry Implications
1. Construction Industry - Opportunity for the construction industry to adopt self-repairing concrete technology, reducing maintenance costs and improving the durability of concrete structures.
2. Municipal Infrastructure - Disruptive innovation potential for municipal infrastructure, as self-repairing concrete could alleviate the financial burden of constant concrete repairs on city streets and infrastructure.
3. Coastal Infrastructure - Chance to revolutionize coastal infrastructure industry with self-repairing concrete, offering a solution to the corrosion caused by salty air and water on bridges and boardwalks near sea water.