Self Healing Concrete | Reduces the Need to Detect and Repair Cracks and Has Social, Environmental and Economic Benefits

Concrete has been one of the most crucial components used in building and construction activities as it is easy to produce in bulk, does not require much maintenance, and is cost-effective. However, concrete is susceptible to cracks. Tiny cracks in concrete do not fully affect the structural integrity in short term but water and chemicals can seep into the structure and damage the structure over time. To overcome this, there has been a rapid adoption of self-healing concrete. Self-healing technology in concrete and cementitious materials can minimize the unnecessary repair and maintenance of the infrastructure along with Co2 emissions. Self-healing concrete has the ability to recover after initial damage by repairing the cracks autogenously. It has dormant bacteria and a food source, starch embedded in concrete. The dormant bacteria become active when water seeps into the concrete through cracks. The bacteria then ingest the starch and excrete calcite which helps in healing the crack.

In recent years, various research-based activities have been conducted to improve concrete properties and increase the life span of concrete using a wide range of bacterial species such as Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus subtilis. Among these, Bacillus megaterium is highly preferred as it has 24% high compressive strength. In 2021, a study was conducted on self-healing concrete using new B. pseudomycodies species in which B. pseudomycodies strain HASS3 was isolated, identified, and tested for its ability to heal the artificially cracked concrete. Recent investigations also state that biochemical metabolism and microbial viability can by influenced by various environmental factors in the exterior as well interior of the concrete. In addition, the bacterial viability can be significantly reduced as the cement dehydrates during concrete curing upon exposure to extreme weather conditions.

Self-healing concrete reduces the need to detect and repair cracks and has social, environmental, and economic benefits such as reducing the need for maintenance, increasing longevity, and lowering disruption and overall costs. This concrete is steadily gaining traction as it has lower permeability, greater stress carrying capacity, and durability as compared to conventional concrete. It also has an effective shock absorber to protect against earthquakes. Factors such as increasing building and construction activities, rising focus on reducing carbon footprint, and growing demand for sustainable and durable infrastructure owing to increasing environmental awareness are expected to drive global market revenue growth during the forecast period. In addition, increasing research-based activities and introduction of novel technologies to develop self-healing construction materials, rapid urbanization, improving standard of living, and increasing investments by public and private organizations are expected to drive Self-healing concrete market growth going ahead. However, factors such as high cost of self-healing concrete, low awareness about this concrete, lack of skilled labor, and high chances of bacterial growth in extreme weather conditions can hamper market growth to a certain extent during the forecast period.