BUILDING INNOVATIONS

INTRODUCTION
Innovation is a wide concept that includes improvements in processes, products or services. It involves incorporating new ideas which generate changes that help solve the needs of a company and so increase its competitiveness.

INNOVATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION
The application of innovation to the construction industry is not straight forward, despite the importance of this sector in the development and growth of the wider economy. Every construction project is different, which means that construction companies have to adapt their processes and resources to suit each project.

CONCRETE
Concrete is an important building material which is widely used in construction works, from light to major heavily construction works. No matter how precisely and carefully the concrete is prepared, eventually it ends up in cracking at some point. Cracks in concrete affects the durability of structure, weakens the strength of concrete, increases permeability, increased the chances of corrosion in reinforcement, makes the structure weak and ultimately fails. Bio concrete is something that connects the nature with the construction. This is a self-healing organic concrete that contains bacteria. These bacteria are aerobic in nature and called as Bacillus Pseudofirmus, Bacillus sporosarcine pasteurii, Bacillus halodurans.

Self-healing concrete
The concrete with the capacity to repair its own cracks and imperfections, requiring no human intervention to heal the cracks that appear on the surface of concrete structures.

How it works?
Bacteria-Based Self-Healing Concrete
It contains a bacteria, bacillus pasteurii, with a form of starch that serves as food for the bacteria.These bacteria stay dormant in the concrete until a crack forms and air gets in.This change wakes up the bacteria and leads them to eat the starch that has been added to the concrete.As the bacteria eat, grow and reproduce, they excrete calcite, which is a form of calcium carbonate.When the calcite bonds to the concrete, it fills the crack and seals it up.Similarly there are other types such as
Sodium Silicate-Based Self-Healing Concrete and
Fungus-Based Self-Healing Concrete

Uses
The use of Bio concrete in India will be very beneficial. As the climate of India is diverse and vary from region to region so there is a temperature change which can deteriorate the concrete surface and ultimately leads to the formation of cracks. Bio concrete reduces the maintenance cost, reduces the chances of corrosion in reinforcement, offers resistance to freezing and thawing attacks, decreases permeability, makes the structure long lasting/ durable.

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