Concrete that Heals Itself can Fix all those Cracks

Concrete Production Impacts are Massive

If you’re looking for a product that is ubiquitous and has a massive environmental impact yet fades into the background, concrete is it. Concrete is the second most consumed material globally after water, according to Nature, and production is estimated to have reached nearly 4 billion tons in 2025. Its carbon dioxide emissions cause about 9 percent of global carbon emissions and have grown to rank second after the energy sector.

Concrete doesn’t even last all that long. NUS assistant professor Kwok Wei Shah and his co-authors said deterioration, which happens from the very beginning, reduces the lifespan and also requires more concrete for repairs. Other researchers at NUS similarly found that cracks in concrete are inevitable due to its low tensile strength. The presence of cracks results in the absorption of water and harmful ions, leading to reduced durability and lower integrity as well as corrosion.

Development of Even Better Solutions is Underway

Demand for concrete comes from contractors building new buildings, roads, bridges or other structures or replacing old ones that have deteriorated. The demand for traditional concrete could drop, though, due to innovations that produce self-healing concrete.

Self-healing concrete is actually nothing new. Ordinary concrete naturally heals small cracks through hydration of cement particles in concrete. Methods to enhance that self-healing process are centuries old, it turns out. The ancient Romans made concrete that contains small, bright white mineral features. Previously seen as resulting from sloppy mixing or poor-quality materials, new research by MIT suggests that it gave the concrete a self-healing capability.

Now, a multitude of companies are working to super-charge that self-healing process.

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) said recent research has aimed at furthering concrete’s self-healing properties through techniques such as using hydrogels that seal the crack, micro-organisms that create calcium carbonate to fill the cracks, or polymers that flow into the cracks. Bridges could repair themselves, buildings could resist deterioration, and concrete highways might not have potholes.

The impact can be huge. Consulting firm IEREK noted that using self-healing concrete could reduce cement demand and carbon emissions by 40-50 percent, cut maintenance costs by up to 60 percent and have a return on investment (ROI) of 200 percent. The advantages include durability, safety, sustainability, cost savings, minimal maintenance, and adaptability. A study of a bus lane at Schiphol airport with self-healing concrete from Basilisk, for instance, showed benefits including lifecycle cost reductions of about 33 percent, more than a 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, design life at least 15 years greater, and less downtime.

While the traditional mindset of construction companies and a reluctance to try new materials has limited uptake so far, the advantages of self-healing concrete could draw more companies into using it - and increasing their profitability. Early-stage investors have potential opportunities in a multi-trillion-dollar market as companies address problems of cost, regulation and environmental impact.

Researchers are Looking for Even Better Solutions

Seeking to have an even greater impact, researchers are looking to increase the benefits even further.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS), for instance, have a project focused on the use of sustainable and recycled materials such as slag, silica fume, aggregates, incinerated bottom or cockle shell ash. Initial results show a potential material that performs better than pure Portland cement in strength recovery, crack sealing and healing.

At the Pacific Northwest National Lab in the United States, technology combines polymers with cement. The concrete prevents cracking by 90 percent, is twice as strong as conventional concrete, nearly doubles concrete’s lifespan, heals itself within 24 hours, self-repairs throughout the entire lifespan and is 70 percent more pliable than traditional cement.

Innovators in Concrete

Companies such as Xypex in Canada and Wacker Chemie AG in Germany have been producing self-healing concrete for a long time and continually working on improvements.

While adoption has been slow so far, newer companies and startups are creating solutions that use innovative processes to deliver even better self-healing concrete.

One example is Basilisk, which produces concrete developed at the Delft University of Technology. An autonomous repair system that works with limestone-producing bacteria fills the cracks when it comes into contact with oxygen and water. The results include a 30-50 percent reduction in the CO2 footprint, lower maintenance costs and a longer service life.

Another is Enzymatic which partnered with the UN and has developed a biological self-healing concrete that can also capture carbon dioxide from the air. Its key innovation is the use of the enzyme Carbonic Anhydrase (CA), a catalyst that is not consumed in the reaction and remains in the concrete. CA is a natural product found in all life forms.

CarbonCure injects captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) into concrete during mixing, where the CO₂ converts into a mineral. The CO₂ then reacts with calcium from the cement to form a nano-sized mineral, calcium carbonate, which becomes embedded in the concrete. This reaction enhances cement hydration efficiency while protecting concrete strength.

Mimicrete says its biomimetic self-healing concrete helps improve the sustainability and durability of structures. Its system is based on a vascular network containing a healing agent, and the technology does not require manual intervention post-installation. It increases the strength of the concrete on day one, more than doubles its lifespan and reduces the need to maintain infrastructure. The longer lifespan reduces the volume of concrete utilised in the built environment, in turn reducing the negative environmental impact of construction.

While concrete will remain the construction material of choice for decades or longer, new processes can reduce its environmental impact and costs while increasing lifespan. The revenue potential is estimated at tens or hundreds of billions of dollars. Investors who invest in the right solution early could benefit from the rapid growth in new materials.