Self-healing 'living concrete' offers sustainable construction and infrastructure innovation.
Emerging Technology/Next Big Thing: Living Concrete, inspired by ancient Roman techniques and utilizing biological agents like lichen for self-healing capabilities.
Commercial and Marketing Opportunities:
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For the Construction and Infrastructure Sector:
- Product Offering: Launch a new line of premium, high-durability concrete. Focus on projects where longevity and low maintenance are crucial, such as bridges, tunnels, public buildings, and coastal defenses.
- Value Proposition: Highlight the significant reduction in long-term maintenance and repair costs, extended structural lifespan, and enhanced resilience.
- Sustainability Angle: Position it as a sustainable construction material due to its longer lifespan (less frequent replacement) and potentially reduced need for repair materials. If the biological process, like CO2 sequestration by lichen, is eco-friendly, that's a huge plus.
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For Materials Science & Biotechnology R&D:
- Innovation Driver: Encourage further research into bio-mimicry and bio-integration in construction materials. Explore other organisms like fungi or bacteria, or bio-chemical pathways for self-healing, improved strength, or even new functionalities like pollution absorption.
- Licensing Opportunities: Companies developing the core technology could license it to established concrete manufacturers.
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For Investors & Venture Capital:
- Early-Stage Investment: Invest in startups or research groups pioneering this technology, betting on its disruptive potential in the massive construction market.
- Focus Areas: Look for companies with strong IP, scalable production methods, and a clear path to commercialization, while addressing the "profitability vs. longevity" dilemma.
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For Marketing & Branding Narratives:
- "Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science": Leverage the powerful story of rediscovering and improving upon Roman techniques. This appeals to a sense of enduring quality and innovation.
- "The Concrete That Lives": A compelling and memorable tagline emphasizing the unique self-healing, biological nature.
- Highlighting Longevity & Cost Savings: Focus marketing materials on the total cost of ownership, showing how upfront investment translates to long-term savings and reliability.
- Addressing Skepticism (from comments like "read this headline every 5 years"): Clearly differentiate this specific innovation (e.g., the lichen mechanism) from previous attempts and showcase tangible results, pilot projects, or certifications.
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Addressing Market Challenges (highlighted by the "profitability versus longevity" comment):
- Business Model Innovation: Develop business models that align incentives. This could involve performance-based contracts, longer warranty periods, or leasing models for critical infrastructure components.
- Education & Advocacy: Educate stakeholders (engineers, architects, developers, policymakers) on the life-cycle benefits to overcome potential resistance to higher initial costs.
- Niche Markets First: Target applications where the benefits are most compelling and can justify a premium price before aiming for broader market adoption.
This "living concrete" represents a significant shift from inert building materials to dynamic, responsive ones, offering a rich field for innovation and commercialization.
Origin Reddit Post
r/science
Scientists Developed a Kind of 'Living Concrete' That Heals Its Own Cracks
Posted by u/sciencealert•06/02/2025
Top Comments
u/spoekans
Scientists copy romans.
u/Nithuir
For all the people who didn't click through to the article, yes, they based this on Roman concrete, except it uses lichen to deposit minerals.
u/Tearakan
Yep. Roman concrete is great for structures that don't have a lot of weight pushing on it constantly.
u/Nithuir
For all the people who didn't click through to the article, yes, they based this on Roman concrete, except it uses lichen to deposit minerals.
u/smurb15
We would be there had it been profitable. They don't like it when it lasts it seems
u/gudgeonpin
Why do I feel that I read this headline every 5 years or so? At one point it was plastics, at another point it was fungi. Wait... oh, now it's lichens. Seriously- I hope this works, but I h
u/BrtFrkwr
I thought the Romans developed that.
u/Black_Moons
No the undead lich. It requires 2 souls per 100 ton of concrete you want to self heal. A bargain really.
u/TolMera
Does adding sugar help?
u/Griz_and_Timbers
The Roman concrete also didn't contain steel rebar reinforcement like modern concrete construction.
u/mallad
This is a different process than the salt water-volcanic ash and quicklime the Romans used.
u/killerseigs
If I remember correctly roman style concrete is actually weaker than modern concrete in the traditional metrics like compressive strength. The reason why it can survive longer is due to the S
u/SirOakin
Yea Rome had that for ages
u/reddittisfreedom
This and male birth control. Any day now!
u/TolMera
The literal biological lichen?
u/Theperfectool
Scientists are the ancient Roman’s
u/kourtbard
Definitely not the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age ended hundreds of years before the Kingdom Of Rome was even a thing, from 3000 BCE to 1200 BCE.
u/bigkoi
Which rebar is a point of failure as the rebar rusts it fractures the concrete.
u/smurb15
We would be there had it been profitable. They don't like it when it lasts it seems
u/spoekans
Scientists copy romans.
u/Snoo_34413
Well you can grow concrete.
u/falconzord
What about fiberglass?
u/boysan98
Fiber concrete already exists. You just wont beat steel for tension loads and cost.
u/killerseigs
If I remember correctly roman style concrete is actually weaker than modern concrete in the traditional metrics like compressive strength. The reason why it can survive longer is due to the L
u/gudgeonpin
Why do I feel that I read this headline every 5 years or so? At one point it was plastics, at another point it was fungi. Wait... oh, now it's lichens. Seriously- I hope this works, but I h
u/prajnadhyana
Yeah, pretty sure they studied old Roman concrete to see how they did it. Still, great that they rediscovered this.
u/ahfoo
They were but they used the earlier term "natural philosophers" which was only replaced by the term "scientist" in the 19th century.
u/Psdeux
I feel like Roman’s back then should still be considered scientists
u/reddittisfreedom
This and male birth control. Any day now!
u/relator_fabula
Graphene batteries
u/BrtFrkwr
I thought the Romans developed that.
u/UniversalDH
Mother’s backs across the world rejoice!
u/prajnadhyana
Yeah, pretty sure they studied old Roman concrete to see how they did it. Still, great that they rediscovered this.
u/OePea
Well, I tried
u/murrtrip
But we, as a society, forget things the older we get. Remember when we had democracy? Yeah we forgot how to do that as well.
u/godspareme
Thousands of years later and we still haven't caught up to the ancient alien technology... humanity is doomed
(I'm joking for the dense folks)
u/godspareme
Thousands of years later and we still haven't caught up to the ancient alien technology... humanity is doomed
(I'm joking for the dense folks)
u/OePea
The bronze age at least
u/overkill
Might sweeten the deal a bit.
u/Psdeux
I feel like Roman’s back then should still be considered scientists
u/LNMagic
Could probably use a different material. Cor-Ten steel makes a rust that becomes a protective layer. I believe galvanizing can also do that.