[HN Gopher] Thin, bacteria-coated fibers could lead to self-heal...
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Thin, bacteria-coated fibers could lead to self-healing concrete
Author : PaulHoule
Score : 53 points
Date : 2024-03-29 11:17 UTC (11 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (theconversation.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (theconversation.com)
| ericskiff wrote:
| Very interesting! I was curious how this related to Roman self-
| healing concrete: https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-
| durability-lime-cas... and it seems like this is an entirely
| novel method, where little capsules of bacteria break open when a
| crack appears and then "heal" the crack through growth until they
| consume their food stock.
|
| Both the capsule (alginate-based) and bacteria are common and
| safe
| willmadden wrote:
| It's the same idea, but instead of calcium carbonate leaking
| out of quicklime in Roman concrete, it's done by bacteria.
|
| The questions are if the bacteria will survive 50-100 years or
| more in the real world, and if this can be done economically at
| scale. My guess is no, it's more of a science experiment or
| something to be used in niche applications.
| beanjuice wrote:
| https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09500...
|
| They produce 60-80 milligram of calcium carbonate 'per fiber',
| per 30 hours. I'm interested to know how they keep the bacteria
| alive over time, through the concrete curing process (high
| temperatures, high level of carbon dioxide, making any liquids in
| the vicinity highly acidic), and how the bacteria remain viable
| over time. Concrete we consider to last over decades, or a
| century?
| littlestymaar wrote:
| > high level of carbon dioxide, making any liquids in the
| vicinity highly acidic
|
| Isn't concrete very alkaline by itself? Also where is the
| carbon dioxide coming from?
| marginalia_nu wrote:
| Relatively common for bacteria to turn itself into an spore
| form when it's unhappy with the environment. Can last that way
| for a very long time.
| Cthulhu_ wrote:
| > if we work out the kinks and manage to bring it to the market
| one day, could extend the life span of concrete.
|
| If, could, one day; it sounds like one of many revolutionary
| battery technology releases, and definitely not the first self-
| healing concrete innovation either.
| imhereforwifi wrote:
| I'm curious why they are looking to make new concrete fixes.
| Would using microplastics and bacteria in the current existing
| concrete possibly help fix the current breakdowns of old
| crumbling concrete? It could be a quicker and less bloated fix to
| the current infrastructure issues.
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