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Self-Healing Concrete by Biological Substrate
How-Ji Chen1, Ching-Fang Peng1, Chao-Wei Tang2,3,4
1Department of Civil Engineering, National Chung-Hsing University, No. 250, Kuo Kuang Road, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 11, 2019
Summary
This study explores using Bacillus pasteurii bacteria for eco-friendly concrete crack repair. The bacteria induce calcium carbonate precipitation, effectively healing cracks and offering a sustainable alternative to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
Background:
- Traditional concrete crack repair materials like epoxy and acrylic resins are environmentally unfriendly.
- These materials often fail due to differential shrinkage and thermal expansion, causing delamination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of using microbial techniques for concrete crack repair.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Bacillus pasteurii in self-healing concrete cracks.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing lightweight aggregates as carriers for Bacillus pasteurii to enhance bacterial survival.
- Employing microscopic testing to assess crack repair and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) to confirm precipitate composition.
Main Results:
- Bacillus pasteurii successfully induced Microbiologically Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP).
- Calcium carbonate deposition effectively filled concrete cracks, originating at the aggregate-cement paste interface.
- XRD analysis confirmed the precipitate as calcium carbonate, validating the repair mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Microbial concrete crack repair using Bacillus pasteurii is feasible and effective.
- This eco-friendly approach offers a promising alternative to conventional repair materials.
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