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A Microbiologist Has Invented Self-Healing, "Living" Concrete. Here's How It Works

Delft University of Technology's Hendrik Jonkers has cracked the problem

By Rain Noe - March 7, 2016

in Materials

We build things out of concrete when we want them to last, and that's why it's the most commonly-used building material in the world. But widespread as it is, concrete has slowly been letting us down. Through expansion and contraction the material inevitably cracks, and once water gets inside, problems start. If the water freezes, the ice will expand, worsening the crack. If the water reaches the rebar inside, it will begin to rust.

The solution to this comes not from the construction industry, but from Hendrik Jonkers, a microbiologist at TU Delft. In trying to solve the problem of cracks forming in concrete, Jonkers observed that the human body, including the bones, are capable of healing their own minor damage. Thus inspired, he set out to find a way that would allow concrete to heal itself naturally—and whaddaya know, he found it:

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If Jonkers succeeds in commercializing his discovery, particularly the bit about having it retroactively applied, he will potentially save governments from spending billions. According to the European Patent Office, who named Jonkers a finalist for last year's European Inventor Award,

Because around 70% of Europe's infrastructure is comprised of concrete, maintenance is an extremely costly affair. HealCON, an EU FP-7 funded project, estimates the annual maintenance cost for bridges, tunnels and earth-retaining walls in the EU member countries at up to € 6 billion.

By the way, another interesting thing I learned by reading Delft's webpage on the material: Apparently in Dutch, the abbreviation for "Hendrik" is "Henk." Huh.

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Matthew Mabey

8 years ago

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And even closer to the Dutch example, in English Henry is often shortened to Hank. Hendrik=Henry and Henk=Hank. Those names can be traced back to a common Germanic origins, but Henry came via the Anglo-Saxons while Richard and William came via the Normans.
But hey, Rain Noe was able to learn about both Henk and self-healing concrete in one fell swoop. What a deal.

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Mrten Boi

8 years ago

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And that's not even meant as a snarky comment! Like Richard > Rich > Rick > Dick, and William > Will > Bill, Hendrik is two syllables where Henk is one. Given name vs nickname.

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Mrten Boi

8 years ago

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Like 'Richard' shortens to 'Dick' and 'William' to 'Bill', I suppose.

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