Spreading salt onto sidewalks or roads when the temperature goes below zero is an effective way to stop roads from getting too icy, but the problem is salty “de-icers” cause roadways to crack. Adding bacteria, however, may keep that from happening. In search of concrete that doesn’t crack, scientists at Philadelphia’s Drexel University started mixing a certain strain of bacteria into a commonly-used cement for roads, along with the nutrients required by the bacteria. The result was a series of concrete samples, which were exposed to a road salt solution for a period of 28 days. Apparently, the bacteria-infused concrete converts the salt mixture into calcium carbonate, which prevents it from reacting with a compound typically found in concrete that causes it to crack. In fact, the addition of calcium carbonate might actually strengthen the concrete. Seeing that the production of concrete is one of the world’s largest emitters, creating concrete that doesn’t crack or need replacement so often would be a big plus.
Anti-freeze salts cause roads to crack. Mixing concrete with bacteria might help
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