The Biological Approach to Enhance Strength in Concrete Using Bacterial and Flysah

Abstract

Concrete is the most critical element applied in public infrastructure/buildings and is often difficult to service, yet requires lengthy service periods. Recent research has shown that specific species of bacteria can actually be useful as a tool to repair cracks in already existing concrete structures. This new concrete, that is equipped to repair itself, presents a potentially enormous lengthening in service-life of public infrastructure/buildings and also considerably reduces the maintenance costs. In addition, concrete by its nature is very prone to deformations that expose its reinforcements, corroding them. Self-healing concrete offers a solution to prevent this. A novel eco friendly self healing technique called Biocalcification is one such approach on which studies were carried out to investigate the crack healing mechanism in enhancing the strength and durability of concrete. Microbiologically induced calcite precipitation (MICP), a highly impermeable calcite layer formed over the surface of an already existing concrete layer, due to microbial activities of the bacteria (Bacillus subtilis JC3) seals the cracks in the concrete structure and also has excellent resistance to corrosion.