{"id":1587,"date":"2021-01-19T14:49:50","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T14:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1587"},"modified":"2021-01-19T14:49:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T14:49:50","slug":"buildings-tunnels-and-bridges-could-soon-repair-themselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1587\/buildings-tunnels-and-bridges-could-soon-repair-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"Buildings, tunnels and bridges could soon repair themselves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stone and concrete structures with the ability to heal themselves in a similar way to living organisms when damaged could help to make buildings safer and last longer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Over time the weather, vibration, ground movements\u00a0and general wear and tear can take their toll on the masonry and concrete used in buildings.<\/p>\n

But keeping buildings in a good state of repair can be expensive and difficult. Hairline cracks and other damage below the wall surface can be hard to detect. With large numbers of historic buildings and\u00a0ageing infrastructure<\/a>, Europe faces an enormous task keeping its buildings in a good state.<\/p>\n

To maintain and repair the EU’s 1.1 million bridges alone requires an estimated budget of\u00a0\u20ac4-6 billion every year<\/a>\u00a0while replacing them could cost more than\u00a0\u20ac400 billion. And as around a fifth of the houses in the EU are\u00a0more than 69 years old\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 according to data from 2015 \u2013 keeping these in a\u00a0liveable\u00a0state will become a growing burden for the construction industry.<\/p>\n

It has led some scientists to ask whether it might be possible for buildings to take care of themselves.<\/p>\n

\u2018Although natural stone structures and objects may have survived over the centuries, weathering and everyday stresses cause damage and deterioration,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Magdalini\u00a0Theodoridou, an engineer\u00a0and\u00a0Newcastle\u00a0University\u00a0academic track fellow at the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment, UK.\u00a0\u2018This could compromise the structural integrity and safety of buildings, as well as reduce their aesthetic appeal.<\/p>\n

\u2018Providing masonry and stonework with an in-built immune system, ready to work before damage becomes critical, will significantly benefit their longevity and reduce their maintenance needs.’<\/p>\n

\u2018Providing masonry and stonework with an in-built immune system, ready to work before damage becomes critical, will significantly benefit their longevity<\/span>.<\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

-Dr Magdalini Theodoridou, Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment, UK<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bacteria\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To enable\u00a0buildings to repair themselves, Dr\u00a0Theodoridou\u00a0has been using bacteria that can act much like the immune cells in the human body that are responsible for detecting injuries and aiding healing.<\/p>\n

While working as a research fellow at Cardiff University she was part of the\u00a0GEOHEAL project<\/a>\u00a0which developed\u00a0ways of using bacteria to repair damage to natural stone and masonry.
\nPrevious work by other groups has demonstrated that it is possible to create\u00a0self-healing concrete<\/a>\u00a0by seeding\u00a0it with\u00a0bacterial spores. The spores are contained within tiny capsules along with a supply of nutrients.<\/p>\n

When a crack appears in the concrete\u00a0structure, the capsules rupture and the exposed bacteria multiply, producing calcium carbonate \u2013 the main constituent of limestone and found in the shells of sea creatures. This\u00a0hardens into the stable mineral calcite, which cements the crack together.<\/p>\n

But while specific hardy types of bacteria \u2013 capable of withstanding the range of conditions a structure might experience \u2013 can be added to concrete as it is being mixed, getting them into natural stone is more of a challenge.<\/p>\n

The GEOHEAL team have developed a technique that allows them to\u00a0spray or brush existing stonework with a liquid containing naturally occurring soil bacteria<\/a>. These then work their way into\u00a0porous rock and eventually heal\u00a0damage\u00a0as it occurs. The\u00a0treatment\u00a0also contains calcium along with nutrients the bacteria need to grow and produce calcite.<\/p>\n

The two types of soil bacteria used \u2013\u00a0Sporosarcina\u00a0pasteurii<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Sporosarcina\u00a0ureae<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0can readily make their homes inside the stone,\u00a0says\u00a0Dr Michael Harbottle, coordinator of the GEOHEAL project and a senior lecturer in\u00a0geoenvironmental\u00a0engineering at Cardiff University, UK.<\/p>\n

\u2018Stone and geological materials are by nature\u00a0bioreceptive, thanks to their mineralogical composition and porous microstructure,\u2019 he said. \u2018The bacteria we have used can happily live in such environments and lead to new mineral formation, as long as they have access to water, oxygen and nutrients including a source of calcium ions.\u2019<\/p>\n

Self-healing\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the bacteria could feed off the calcium already contained in some natural rock types such as limestone, marbles and sandstones, this\u00a0could\u00a0degrade the surrounding stone. Instead, the researchers provide additional calcium for the bacteria to turn into hardened calcite.<\/p>\n

\u2018We provide the calcium ions with the nutrients in order to boost the efficiency of the self-healing system, as well as to prevent decomposition of the natural fabric of the host materials,\u2019 said Dr Harbottle.<\/p>\n

The researchers have also developed a self-healing mortar to hold stones and brick together\u00a0by adding dormant\u00a0bacteria to the mortar paste<\/a>\u00a0along with a network of\u00a0\u2018veins\u2019\u00a0containing nutrients.\u00a0When the mortar is damaged,\u00a0these veins break open, providing food for the bacteria that causes them to multiply and\u00a0repair the cracks. As they do so, they\u00a0re-encapsulate themselves<\/a>, becoming dormant once more and ready to start the repair process again should further damage occur.<\/p>\n

Provided the bacteria can access water or oxygen, the self-healing process can take place at any depth into the stone that a crack may appear. Most treatments for restoring and protecting old masonry tend to be restricted to coatings on the surface of the masonry, says\u00a0Dr\u00a0Theodoridou.<\/p>\n

During the two-year project, which ended in early 2020, the researchers also collaborated with the Welsh government to see if their bacterial system could help preserve the historic Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire, Wales. Tests conducted on stone samples from the site showed that the bacteria could\u00a0improve the microstructure of the masonry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Crucially they also found that the appearance of the stone itself did not change.<\/p>\n

\u202f\u2018For example, no colour alterations were found than could be detectable by the human eye,\u2019 said Dr Harbottle. The bacterial treatment also did not affect the \u2018breathability\u2019 of the stone \u2013 something that can be a problem with conventional stone protection treatments and sealants, which can lead to the surface layer flaking off as\u00a0salts\u00a0build up behind it. This can then accelerate the weathering of the stone that is exposed underneath.<\/p>\n

Infrastructure\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr\u00a0Theodoridou\u00a0adds\u00a0that using bacterial self-healing treatments could be particularly useful for critical infrastructure\u00a0and those that are\u00a0difficult to access, such as bridges and tunnels. It could also help to prolong the life of older buildings that have suffered damage.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0could\u00a0contribute to meeting global sustainability goals, she says.<\/p>\n

The construction industry is responsible for around\u00a05-12% of greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>\u00a0in Europe and\u00a011% worldwide<\/a>,\u00a0making it a major contributor to climate change. By\u00a0helping buildings last longer with fewer repairs, self-healing materials could\u00a0reduce those emissions.<\/p>\n

For structures such as bridge, tunnels and earth retaining walls, the ability to self-heal could also greatly improve their safety. Damage to these critical infrastructures can lead to catastrophic failures if they are not regularly maintained. In 2018,\u00a0the collapse of the Morandi Bridge<\/a>, in Genoa, Italy\u00a0claimed the lives of 43 people and investigators identified\u00a0corroded cables and damage to the concrete as being partly responsible<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Large parts of these structures, however, tend to be buried underground, making maintenance and inspections an even harder task. Self-healing concrete in these situations could help to save up to\u00a0\u20ac120 million every year in maintenance and repair costs of Europe\u2019s tunnels and earth retaining walls, according to researchers working on the\u00a0GEOBACTICON project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Soil\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most research on self-healing concrete has focused on structures exposed to the air or water rather than those immersed in the soil. Different soil types with varying moisture and acidity can affect the concrete in wide range of ways.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is not clear if the process of self-healing is efficient within concrete elements exposed to such complicated ground conditions,\u2019 said Dr Adam\u00a0Souid, an engineer at the University of Derby, UK, and principal investigator on GEOBACTICON. The project, which concluded in December, was trying to unravel how bacterial-based self-healing might behave in concrete buried underground.<\/p>\n

He and his colleagues mixed calcium-rich capsules of gel filled with the soil bacteria\u00a0Bacillus subtilis<\/em>\u00a0into concrete and shaped them into blocks. These were then deliberately damaged and buried into various types of naturally occurring soil. They found that in some soils, other soil bacteria could penetrate into cracks and compete with the healing bacteria.<\/p>\n

The size\u00a0and composition\u00a0of the soil particles could also cause problems as these can infiltrate the cracks,\u00a0while the amount of water saturating the soil was also important as it could generate pressure inside pores and cracks that\u00a0affected the resulting healing<\/a>.\u00a0More saturated soils tended to heal better, the\u00a0researchers\u00a0found.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The findings have provided the team with vital clues about how to improve the self-healing processes in underground structures, which they are now starting to investigate. If they are successful, however, it could be vital for not just maintaining the integrity of concrete itself, but also protecting the steel bars encased within the concrete to reinforce large structures.<\/p>\n

If exposed to moisture, acidic compounds and other chemicals found in soils, the steel can corrode and weaken, says\u00a0Dr\u00a0Souid.\u00a0\u2018The bacterial self-repairing concrete technology can protect reinforced concrete structures and infrastructures actively and durably without human investigations, controls or interventions.\u2019<\/p>\n

Self-healing stonework and concrete could even lead to exciting new forms of architecture in the future,\u00a0believes\u00a0Dr\u00a0Theodoridou. \u2018In new construction, the possibility of incorporating self-healing materials and structural elements would enable bolder and more sustainable designs.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU.\u00a0If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on Horizon magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stone and concrete structures with the ability to heal themselves in a similar way to living organisms when damaged could help to make buildings safer and last longer. Over time the weather, vibration, ground movements\u00a0and general wear and tear can take their toll on the masonry and concrete used in buildings. But keeping buildings in … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":322,"featured_media":1588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[380,266,4,119],"class_list":["post-1587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment","tag-concrete","tag-construction","tag-environment","tag-industry"],"yoast_head":"\nBuildings, tunnels and bridges could soon repair themselves - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1587\/buildings-tunnels-and-bridges-could-soon-repair-themselves\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Buildings, tunnels and bridges could soon repair themselves\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stone and concrete structures with the ability to heal themselves in a similar way to living organisms when damaged could help to make buildings safer and last longer. 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