- Jul 20, 2016
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When I came across this article, I had to read through it a few times. A special fungi that feeds on the elements of crumbling concrete could create a repair. Basically, they are saying that fungi poop could fix deteriorating concrete.
This is an interesting idea; however, I would want the possibility of unintended consequences investigated thoroughly. There are plenty examples of one fix creating a whole new problem, but if this works, then it could be a big help until we develop a new material to replace concrete.
https://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/fungi-could-help-concrete-heal-its-own-cracks.html
This is an interesting idea; however, I would want the possibility of unintended consequences investigated thoroughly. There are plenty examples of one fix creating a whole new problem, but if this works, then it could be a big help until we develop a new material to replace concrete.
The research team led by Jin explored a number of different fungi as potential candidates for inclusion into concrete as a dormant self-healing feature, and found at least one that shows great promise for knitting cracked concrete back together again.
A fungus called Trichoderma reesei was found to germinate and grow well in the high pH environment produced by the dissolving of the calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) from the concrete, and to precipitate calcite crystals on its hyphae. This natural process could enable the fungus to fill in the cracks in concrete with calcium carbonate, essentially knitting it back together again by functioning as a bio-based self-healing agent.
https://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/fungi-could-help-concrete-heal-its-own-cracks.html
