2. Overview
Concrete is the most used construction material in the world. It
can be found in swathes of city pavements, bridges that span
vast rivers and the tallest skyscrapers on earth. But it does have
a weakness: it is prone to catastrophic cracking that has
immense financial and environmental impact.
• What if we could avoid that problem?
• How to create a more resilient concrete?
3. Self-healing mechanism
• When water inters tiny cracks, it hydrates the concrete’s
calcium oxide. The resulting calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2]
reacts with the carbon dioxide [CO2] in the air, starting a
process called autogenous healing, where, where microscopic
carbonate crystals form and gradually fill the gap.
4. Bacteria based self-healing concrete (Bio
concrete)
• Scientists have discovered that some bacteria and fungi
can produce minerals, including the [CaCO2] found in
autogenous healing.
5. Bio concrete
It is a special type of concrete invented by a group of microbiology
researchers under the head of (Henk Jonkers) in 2006 , to increase the
lifespan or the durability of concrete structure.