Researchers from Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York System, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, have collaborated to develop a self-healing concrete.

When concrete cracks, water and oxygen get in, threatening steel reinforcement with rusting and eventual failure. By mixing dormant spores of the fungus Trichoderma reesei into the concrete, the researchers hope to heal cracks before they can spread.

With the presence of water and oxygen, the dormant fungus is reactivated, so to speak, and begins to grow. A byproduct of this is calcium carbonate - which would fill in the cracks that let the water and oxygen in to begin with.

Researchers from Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York System, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, have collaborated to develop a self-healing concrete.

When concrete cracks, water and oxygen get in, threatening steel reinforcement with rusting and eventual failure. By mixing dormant spores of the fungus Trichoderma reesei into the concrete, the researchers hope to heal cracks before they can spread.

With the presence of water and oxygen, the dormant fungus is reactivated, so to speak, and begins to grow. A byproduct of this is calcium carbonate - which would fill in the cracks that let the water and oxygen in to begin with.

Once the cracks are filled, the fungi would return to its spore form and go dormant again, until environmental conditions are favorable for it to reactivate.

The main concern for the researchers is currently whether or not the fungus can survive the concrete at all. They intend to further research how fungi and other microorganisms can aid in the development of self-healing concrete.

The full study is available for purchase at https://tinyurl.com/yb4bvtju.