Self-Repairing Bio concrete: A Better Living

Concrete is one of the main materials used in the construction industry, from foundation of a building to the structures of the bridges. The concrete used has a flaw, its tensile strength is one tenth of the compressive strength and as a result it tends to crack when subjected to tension. Selfhealing concrete is a product that will biologically produce limestone to heal cracks that appear on the surface of concrete structures. Bacillus, bacteria along with calcium-based nutrient known as calcium lactate, and nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to the ingredients of the concrete. These self-healing agents can lie dormant within the concrete for up to 200 years. The consumption of oxygen during the bacterial conversion of calcium lactate to limestone to fix cracks has an additional advantage. Oxygen is an essential element in the process of corrosion of steel and when the bacterial activity has consumed it all, it increases the durability of steel reinforced concrete constructions. Bactria improves the structural properties such as tensile strength, water permeability, durability and compressive strength of the normal concrete. Cracks of various sizes form in all concrete constructions which need to be sealed manually shortening the life of a particular construction. On the other hand, Selfhealing concrete (SHC) is a revolutionary building material that has the solution to all these problems and is definitely the building material of the near future.