Summary Reader Response 3 (Self Healing Concrete)

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 reduce the time and cost to change parts in the canal.

Secondly, another country that is utilizing this concrete is India. According to Ong, R (2016), Dr Menkumar Banthia, an engineering professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), stated the road in Thondebavi, Southwestern India, was inaccessible by car or foot and people depend on this road to do their daily activities. The road was revamped with strong self-healing concrete. With this innovation, the road is stronger and also has the ability to repair its own cracks when rain is present. As a result. this makes it more accessible for the residents around the vicinity. Both above-mentioned articles show that the renovation of public facilities using self-healing concrete has a positive impact on people’s daily lives.

Thirdly, another country that is utilizing this concrete is the Netherlands. According to Williams, A (2017), a water utility centre plans to invent water storage tanks that are made partially with self-healing concrete. The reason is that the centre aims to reduce the time and cost of changing parts in the tanks whenever there are any faulty ones. This article shows that self – healing concrete used in water plants is effective. As bacteria is present in wastewater, it helps in producing limestone, which in turn can heal the cracks in the water tank.

Although the characteristics of the concrete are mentioned. I believe that if the article mentioned some countries using this concrete, we can understand how it helps the country in a particular way. That way I believe that other countries can be inspired by these projects and be more innovative in the future.


References:

Spinks, R. (2015, June 29). The self-healing concrete that can fix its own cracks. The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/29/the-self-healing-concrete-that-can-fix-its-own-cracks

Van Dijk, T (2014, August 7) Self-healing irrigation canals in Ecuador. TU Delft

https://www.delta.tudelft.nl/article/self-healing-irrigation-canals-ecuador#:~:text=Henk%20Jonkers%20and%20Virginie%20Wiktor,canal%20for%20irrigating%20their%20fields.

Ong, R (2016, November 15) Self-healing roads protecting villages in India from heavy rains. The Ubyssey

https://www.ubyssey.ca/science/self-healing-roads/

Williams, A (2017, May 1) Self-Healing Concrete in The Netherlands. Waterworld

https://www.waterworld.com/international/utilities/article/16201170/selfhealing-concrete-in-the-netherlands

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