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Bacteria Used To Fix Cracked Concrete
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the UK's University of Newcastle have created a new type of bacteria that generates glue to hold together cracks in concrete structures — that means everything from concrete sidewalks to buildings that have been damaged by earthquakes. When the cells have been germinated, they burrow deep into the concrete until they reach the bottom. At this point, the concrete repair process is activated, and the cells split into three types that produce calcium carbonate crystals, act as reinforcing fibers, and produce glue which acts as a binding agent to fill concrete gaps."
I think it's officially "the future".
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
How is it gonna stop? when they run out of concrete to fill, when they overpopulate and eat all the concrete "cracks" or when they kill all humans and we can't record the moment it stops because there won't be any humans to observe it?
Seriously... Season 4 Did Adama ok this?
Is the nanobot 'grey goo' earth going to be usurped by the bacteria concrete earth?
Using bacteria to fix concrete? Now that's thinking outside the box. This will be a great money saver for any size city by not having to replace whole slabs of concrete. My only concern is... isn't it just like slapping some duct tape on there? Either way, I have a feeling this will become huge in the near future.
Gigacrete looks like a better material for building in my opinion. I'll just have bacteria in my yogurt for now.
-Several GigaCrete products can be made with recycled waste material such as bottom ash, fly ash, sludge, or dredged materials. And, these waste material fillers can comprise up to 80% (by volume) of GigaCrete products. Usage of such waste materials reduces the amount of these byproducts going to landfills or other waste storage sites.
- Less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are produced from the manufacture of the GigaCrete cement binder than compared to the manufacture of Portland cement.
- Energy savings can be achieved with the GigaCrete PanelSystem due to the high thermal efficiency and insulating value of the panel material. According to the “Structural Insulated Panel Association in Partnership with Oakridge National Labs,” structural paneled homes can achieve energy savings of up to 70%.
- The GigaCrete cement binder is 100% nontoxic.
- GigaCrete products use approximately two-thirds less water than conventional Portland-based cement products.
- High resistance to mold, mildew, insects, and vermin facilitates cleaner living environments.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
our new concrete secreting overlords.
Adama was madly painting this stuff on before he hit the booze and destroyed his model ship again.
I can't come in today, my street has a bad cold.
They'll make the arteriosclerosis from cholesterol look like a sneeze.
The spores germinate only in very alkaline environments — concrete has a quite high pH. The article is vague on details, but notes that "[the bacteria] have a built-in self-destruct gene that prevents them from proliferating away from the concrete target."
Now, What Could Possibly Go Wrong and all of that, but the bases are nominally covered.
And the bacteria knows the difference between concrete and lung tissue how?
-=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
... where bacteria-laden cast concrete garden gnomes evolve intelligence.
And it's not a pretty sight.
I won't have this cylon goop in my ship^H^H^H^H concrete!
Bacteria burrows into bone, squeezing bone marrow into an ever-tinier passageway, for a new disease mimicking leukemia or aplastic anemia. Bacteria burrows into joints, for a new cause of arthritis and bone spurs. I hope that the genetic engineers built a foolproof off-switch into this one, or perhaps this bacteria commits suicide in the absence of rebar.
This article is very interesting, but at the same time I have my concerns. For instance, how do you make the bacteria stop and what if the bacteria enters the ground creating unnatural erosion or other environmental problems. Also, how is the bacteria purchased? I mean who ever discovered this will make some money! It is important to know these answers because everything in life has a cause and effect. Overall though, it is a sweet method to fix the cracks in concrete.
Article summary states how it works incorrectly, which confused me.
"When the cells have been germinated, they burrow deep into the concrete until they reach the bottom."
should be
"When the cells have been germinated, they burrow deep into the concrete CRACKS until they reach the bottom"
Made me think at first it's going through the solid concrete which didn't sound like a good idea.
Made you look.
Que all variations in this thread for the sake of tidiness in 3, 2, 1 ...
Read radical news here
React to the specific PH of the concrete? If only all concrete were the same. Its been in use for several hundred years, and the formula has been constantly evolving.
Remember Monsanto and "roundup ready" seeds? Now imagine a "bio-healing ready" concrete... concrete that is differentiated by a specific compound formula which is standardized for a specific bacteria (of course several grades of the product combo will exist for both quality and usage differences ... which also allow for market segmentation)
All it will take is some enterprising megacorp with the legal muscle to patent this combo (and defend the patents) and you can effectively raised margin on concrete 10x at least.
Anything can be de-commoditized if it provides unique value and a big enough megacorp.
Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
...but does it work on plumbers too?
Just had a look into my fridge.
This engineered bacterium system was entered into the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, so there's a lot more information about this project at the team's project page. In particular, there's a more thorough description of the kill switch the team engineered to prevent the spread of this bacterium beyond the target environment, the underlying mechanism being that sucrose must be available in the environment to prevent the bacterium from producing a toxin which kills itself.
"FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."
They tried to fix the Galactica with biological glue too, and all that accomplished was the ship waking up and taking control.
Was this not what the sylons did in BSG where the hull of the ship was breached so they used some bacterial goo to strengthen the ship
Why do you need bacteria to make glue in the cracks when you can simply insert glue directly into the crack without bacteria? What am I missing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8gSTiWKm6A
This can only go terribly wrong.
as long as it stars Natalie Portman, I'm cool with that...
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I suspect the Brits are also working on having this technology used as non-conductive fillings.
As an added bonus, all those unsightly loiterers and people that just sit about on curbs doing nothing - and just maybe all those folk that walk really slow (getting in the way of skates, bicycles and segways) - will be incorporated into artistic-looking concrete ornaments. Just remember not to sleep on the sidewalk, then.
I'm sure everything will be ok with all those little creepy-crawlers and creatures that live on roads or near them, Or under them. Right ? And those that eat them ? These bacteria can't survive in streams and rivers and in the sea, can they ? Specially if they find an oilspill? Uh-oh! Does take care of the parking-space problem for coastal towns, though. Undoubtedly.
Anyway, I'm those good folk on Andromeda Rd., Crichtonville, will be as comfy as ever.
All this crack-filling info is great, but where does all the crack-filling goo come from?
Where does the bacterium procure its nutrition from?
It's a great concept and probably incredibly useful. But what good is news if it leaves out the important bits?
Does anyone know where the bacterium pulls something out of nothing from?
TFA certainly avoids giving out any details about what the bacteria requires and what byproducts (aside from the gap-goo) they produce.
Geekism is your _only_ God!
This sounds like the real-world version of the technology the Cylons attempted to employ to repair Galactica. Cover the hull in goo, wait for it to bond, and all is well.
I will not have Cyborg technology on my ship!!!
I've got no problem with using a method like this to patch concrete used for sidewalks, roads, etc. But (as an Engineer) I would have a strong reluctance to applying it to any significant structure (e.g.: Bridges, Buildings, etc.). Yes, it may fill the cracks. But what are the structural characteristics in compression, sheer, and to a lesser extent, tension? What is the bond strength with the adjacent intact concrete, as well as the reinforcing steel. How will the resultant material act over time? Concrete has been used since the Romans. I'd like at least a few years of testing to establish a track record before I'd approve it on a project I was running.
âoeAny society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
The problem, with bullet wound is...[dirt].
Another problem with bullet wounds is emergency room doctors who believe the myth of "hydrostatic shock" damage and chop out a core of tissue around the bullet's path (as if it were a linear cancer), rather than treating it properly by cleaning and closing the wound (as if it were any other puncture-and-displacement trauma).
Yo, Docs! Even if the bullet somehow WAS traveling faster than the speed of sound in flesh (like about mach 4.4) shock waves aren't any big deal for soft tissue. Think Lithotripter.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
The problem, with bullet wound is... they are not always clean...
Another problem is emergency room doctors who believe the myth of "hydrostatic shock" damage and chop out a core of tissue around the bullet's path (like a linear cancer) rather than treating it properly by cleaning and closing it (like a puncture-with-displacement wound).
Yo, Docs! Even if the bullet WERE somehow traveling faster than the speed of sound in tissue (about mach 4.4), shock waves in tissue aren't any big deal! Think "Lithotripter".
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
the team engineered to prevent the spread of this bacterium beyond the target environment, the underlying mechanism being that sucrose must be available in the environment to prevent the bacterium from producing a toxin which kills itself.
So, if the bacteria doesn't get sucrose from us they'll just slip into a coma and die right?
Right?
Because this has never gone wrong.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
I don't like the idea of a biological entity that produces calcium carbonate. This stuff has cancer lawsuits 10-20 years from now written all over it.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
I will not use cylon technology!
So is this a bacteria or a fungus?
I thought maybe I misread the title of this post. I was hoping to get my fix of crack cocaine from the bacteria. I guess that discovery will have to wait.