Darren's Blog

According to Spinks, R (2015), she mentioned the environmental impact that cement production can cause. To tackle this problem, Hendrik Jonkers had come up with an innovative idea to increase the lifespan of concrete and reduce its production. The article also stated the advantages and disadvantages of self-healing concrete and how this concrete is used globally. Even though this article did state the advantages and disadvantages of the concrete, it did not sufficiently state how this concrete is used globally, like where and how is it used? Firstly, the article mentioned that this concrete is used in Ecuador. According to Van Dijk, T (2014), a concrete canal in the Andean highlands is facing problems due to constant changes in temperature. As a result, cracks were formed in the canal and it leads to food shortage and crop failure to the surrounding communities due to water leaks in it. Self -healing concrete was used in the canal, which the purpose was to repair the cracks in it and r...

According to an article “The Self-healing Concrete That Can Fix Its Own Cracks” Rosie Spinks (2015), she mentioned about the environmental impact that cement production can cause. To tackle this problem, Hendrik Jonkers had came up with an innovative idea to increase the lifespan of concrete and reduce its production. The article also stated about the advantages and disadvantages about the self-healing concrete and how this concrete is used globally. Even though this article did state about the advantages and disadvantages of the concrete, it did not sufficiently state on how this concrete is used globally, like where and how is it used? Firstly, the article mentioned that this concrete is used in Ecuador. Based on the article “ Self-healing irrigation canals in Ecuador.” Van Dijk (2014) , a concrete canal in the Andean highlands is facing problems due to constant changes in temperature. As a result, cracks were formed in the canal and it leads to food shortage and crop failure to the...

According to an article “The Self-healing Concrete That Can Fix Its Own Cracks” Rosie Spinks (2015), she did mention about the environmental impact that cement production can cause. Furthermore, she also mentioned that Hendrik Jonkers had came up with an innovative idea to increase the lifespan of concrete and reduce its production. The article also mentioned about the advantages and disadvantages about the self-healing concrete and also the how this concrete is used globally. Even though this article did mention about the advantages and disadvantages of the concrete, it did not mention enough on how this concrete is used globally, like where and how is it used? Firstly, the article mentioned that this concrete is used in Ecuador. So, in Ecuador, a concrete canal in the Andean highlands , which supports seven communities in crop production, is facing problems due to constant changes in temperature. As a result, cracks were formed in the canal and it leads to food shortage and crop fa...

According to an article by Spinks (2015), Hendrik Jonkers, a microbiologist from Delft University, plans to extend the life of concrete. The main aim to reduce global cement production and reduce the maintenance of the current concrete. Although it comes in many forms and has a lifespan of 200 years, it only can heal cracks up to 0.8mm wide and it cost more than the usual concrete. Nevertheless, according to Spinks, John Alker, director of policy at the UK Green Building Council, mentioned that the success of the self-healing concrete depends on Jonker’s ability to demonstrate it. Furthermore, according to Spinks, Jonkers mentioned that this concrete is being tested globally, especially in developing countries, to show that it saves labour despite its cost. Even though this article explains the targets that the self-healing concrete aims to achieve, it is still not robust enough in explaining how this building material is being used in projects globally. One of the projects that invol...

According to an article by Spinks (2015), cement production contributed to 8% of total global emissions. To tackle this issue, microbiologist Hendrik Jonkers, from Delft University, plans to extend the life of concrete. With that in mind, he invented the self-healing concrete, which involves two fields: Civil Engineering and Marine Biology. However, for it to work, bacteria from rainwater or atmospheric moisture must be present. The reason is that it produces limestone to repair the cracks. The cost is more expensive than the normal one, so the cost of building essential infrastructure will be increased. Although it comes in many types, it only can heal cracks up to 0.8mm wide. With Jonkers able to demonstrate a product’s benefit, he pointed out that coastal communities and tropical regions would benefit from this concrete. Furthermore, he mentioned that it is tested in developing countries to profit from this concrete.