A scientist in the Netherlands has created a self-healing concrete that can repair its own cracks. The amazing discovery was made by Henk Jonkers, a microbiologist who works in the field of civil engineering and conducts research at the Delft University of Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the secret to Jonkers\u2019 self-healing concrete? The clever scientist knew that certain bacteria produce limestone upon interacting with water and an organic nutrient known as calcium lactate. Jonkers mixes the bacteria and calcium lactate into concrete. Any water that seeps into a crack will \u201cawaken\u201d the bacteria, causing it to feed and secrete limestone which seals the fissure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Jonkers, it only takes about three weeks for the bacteria to do its job and completely fill a crack of any length up to 8mm wide. The bacteria used by Jonkers is typically found in rocks near volcanoes, and is heat and cold resistant, making the concrete more durable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erosion is a huge problem in the building and engineering industries. While concrete is a popular construction material, stress cracks can occur over time, leading to the weakening of a structure, resulting in costly and time-consuming repairs. With reinforced concrete, as the water seepage erodes the concrete, it comes into contact with the steel inside, weakening the steel, which begins to corrode and become brittle. This usually happens in 20-30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to formulating bacteria-containing concrete, Jonkers and his team have also developed a repair mortar and a liquid that can be sprayed on traditional concrete. The liquid can be applied to existing structures and might even be used to preserve historical monuments that have been damaged or eroded over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The structural decay of buildings, tunnels, roadways, and bridges is not only unsightly but also potentially dangerous. Each year, countries around the globe spend billions of dollars on infrastructure repair. Jonkers believes that embracing sustainable construction is the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNature has the capacity of self-healing. For example, if a tree loses a branch it can re-grow,\u201d he explained, adding that the human body has similar self-healing capabilities. \u201cBut the built environment is dead, so this is what we are now changing,\u201d he noted. Jonkers said he is looking to \u201cminimize the impact of what we do with building,\u201d while also working with the environment to improve and strengthen construction materials. \u201cWe can implement the living environment into the building environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonkers self-healing concrete is expected to substantially reduce maintenance and repair costs since buildings manufactured with the new concrete can begin to repair themselves before there’s any significant damage to a structure and continue to heal themselves for up to two centuries. \u201cNature has inspired us to produce this new type of material, a combination of biology and civil engineering bioconcrete, it will save us a lot of money which we would otherwise have to spend on maintenance and repair in the future,\u201d Jonkers concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest obstacle for Jonkers and his team has been keeping the bacteria alive when it’s mixed into the concrete. The bacteria receive a special coating however this process is costly. Jonkers’ team is currently working to develop inexpensive methods to help the bacteria survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to his academic work, Jonkers is also the research advisor for Basilisk Self-Healing Concrete. The company is affiliated with the Delft University of Technology and has struck multiple agreements to distribute Jonkers\u2019 bioconcrete in countries around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonkers\u2019 invention is definitely a game-changer in the field of engineering. He was a 2015 finalist for the European Inventor Award. \u201cWe think our concrete will revolutionize the way we build, because we\u2019ve been inspired by nature. Plants and animals have the ability to heal and now we\u2019ve given concrete the ability to do the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A scientist in the Netherlands has created a self-healing concrete that can repair its own cracks. The amazing discovery was made by Henk Jonkers, a microbiologist who works in the field of civil engineering and conducts research at the Delft University of Technology. What is the secret to Jonkers\u2019 self-healing concrete? The clever scientist knew […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":2931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-and-environment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3291,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2930\/revisions\/3291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fact-ahead.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}