A prototype self-healing concrete is going to be trialled by the UK contractor
The company is going to invest £600,000 (€709,000) into the project, which will attempt to develop an inbuilt concrete immune system able to repair cracks and wounds.
Scientists are planning to add special bacteria to the concrete, and this is contained within protective microcapsules, which will come to life as soon as water enters a crack. They will then produce limestone deposits, which will plug cracks in the concrete before any steel reinforcement can be corroded by water and oxygen. The project will run for three years, with research being carried out by the universities of Bath, Cambridge and Cardiff.
