Repairing bricks with bacteria for lunar buildings

The process could save having to replace damaged bricks, extending the lifespan of built structures.

The team at the Indian Institute of Science poured a slurry made from S. pasteurii, guar gum, and a lunar soil simulant into different artificial defects created in sintered bricks.

Over a few days, the slurry penetrated into the defects and the bacterium produced calcium carbonate, which filled them up.

The bacterium also produced biopolymers, which acted as adhesives that strongly bound the soil particles together with the residual brick structure, thereby recovering much of the brick’s lost strength.

'We were initially not sure if the bacteria would bind to the sintered brick,' says Kumar. 'But we found that the bacteria can not only solidify the slurry but also adhere well to this other mass.'

The reinforced bricks were also able to withstand temperatures ranging from 100-175°C.

The team is currently working on a proposal to dispatch a sample of S. pasteurii into space as part of the Gaganyaan mission, to test their growth and behaviour under microgravity.