What sounded like a fiction, even not so long
ago, now has a chance to become perfectly real, together with the development
of “self – healing” concrete by the researchers at Northumbria University. Is
it the end of cracks in concrete buildings?
Dr Alan Richardson, a Senior Lecturer in Construction at the School of the
Built and Natural Environment, has used a ground-borne bacteria (bacilli megaterium ) to create calcite, which is a crystalline form of
natural calcium carbonate. Later on it can be used as a blocker to the
concrete’s pores, which prevents water from entering the formula and prolongs
the life of the concrete.
The bacteria, owing to which a breakthrough
discovery was possible is grown on nutrient yeast, minerals and urea,
then added to the concrete itself. Supplied with its nutritive substances
within the concrete, the bacteria has a perfect environment to breed and
spread. As a result it acts as a filler, sealing the cracks and preventing any
subsequent deterioration.
It has been widely hoped that the discovery of concrete-healing bacteria could
lead to a cost-efficient solution for the construction industry and has the
outstanding commercial potential.
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