A LIVING cement for repairing cracks in buildings could help stop the
concrete facades of modern buildings crumbling away. Stuffed with bacteria, the
cement “grows” to patch up cracks as they develop, the inventors say.
Cracks can form in concrete facades when strong sun or wind dry the outer
face of the concrete much faster than the inside. In wet conditions, these
cracks draw in water, which can freeze. This often leads to “spalling”—in
which large chunks of a facade fall off.
To repair such cracks, a team at the South Dakota School of Mines and
Technology in Rapid…
