Microbial calcite, a bio-based smart nanomaterial in concrete remediation

The concept of developing a biosealant in concrete remediation is based on unique microbial metabolic processes. A common soil microorganism, Sporosarcina pasteurii, can induce CaCO 3 precipitation in the surroundings in response to environmental cues such as high pH and available nutrients and mine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of smart and nano materials Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 28 - 39
Main Authors Bang, S. S., Lippert, J. J., Yerra, U., Mulukutla, S., Ramakrishnan, V.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Taylor & Francis 17.02.2010
Subjects
biosealant
concrete remediation
immobilization
microbial calcite
smart nanomaterial
Sporosarcina pasteurii
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Summary:The concept of developing a biosealant in concrete remediation is based on unique microbial metabolic processes. A common soil microorganism, Sporosarcina pasteurii, can induce CaCO 3 precipitation in the surroundings in response to environmental cues such as high pH and available nutrients and minerals. A new biomolecule, microbial calcite is introduced as a smart nanomaterial for self-healing concrete - its effects on concrete performance were evaluated with regard to surface crack remediation and durability enhancement. For crack remediation, S. pasteurii cells immobilized on porous glass beads, Siran TM , were applied to cracks and tested for stiffness and compressive strengths. For durability tests, cement mortar beams prepared with bacteria were subjected to freeze-thaw cycles and examined for mean expansions and weight changes. Overall performance of the concrete was significantly enhanced by treatment with microbial calcite in simulated concrete cracks and cement mortar beams.
ISSN:1947-5411
1947-542X
DOI:10.1080/19475411003593451