Bioconcrete: next generation of self-healing concrete

Abstract

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials and has a high tendency to form cracks. These cracks lead to significant reduction in concrete service life and high replacement costs. Although it is not possible to prevent crack formation, various types of techniques are in place to heal the cracks. It has been shown that some of the current concrete treatment methods such as the application of chemicals and polymers are a source of health and environmental risks, and more importantly, they are effective only in the short term. Thus, treatment methods that are environmentally friendly and long-lasting are in high demand. A microbial self-healing approach is distinguished by its potential for long-lasting, rapid and active crack repair, while also being environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the microbial self-healing approach prevails the other treatment techniques due to the efficient bonding capacity and compatibility with concrete compositions. This study provides an overview of the microbial approaches to produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Prospective challenges in microbial crack treatment are discussed, and recommendations are also given for areas of future research.

Calcium carbonates: induced biomineralization with controlled macromorphology

“…Basic scientific questions addressed include the nature and rates of the biotic versus the abiotic nature of calcite formation. For one species, 33 g L −1 calcite precipitation was reported (Seifan et al, 2016). The same assumption has been tested for the formation of rhodoliths in marine systems, where carbonate rocks evolve (Cavalcanti et al, 2014).…”

“…Since properties are different for gram positives and gram negatives, both binding divalent cations such as Mg 2+ or Ca 2+ , a determination of the microbial clades is necessary (Chahal et al, 2011;Douglas and Beveridge, 1998;Zhu et al, 2017). Depending on different cell surface structures, different crystal morphologies have been reported (Cao et al, 2016;Seifan et al, 2016). Nevertheless, even from one and the same bacterial isolate different macromorphologies of biominerals have been described (Tisato et al, 2015).…”

“…As a result of growing knowledge on carbonate biomineralization, applications in concrete repair and formulation of self-healing cement have been derived (Achal et al, 2009;Li et al, 2017;Seifan et al, 2016;Singh et al, 2015). Additionally, carbonate formation for remediation purposes, including wastewater treatment (Gonzalez-Martinez et al, 2017), has gained interest (Kumari et al, 2016;.…”

The Effect of Cell Immobilization by Calcium Alginate on Bacterially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation

“…In recent years, microbially induced CaCO3 precipitation has emerged as an alternative approach to conventional CaCO3 extraction by mining. Bacterially induced CaCO3 precipitation has been successfully used for a wide range of applications including strengthening of sand and soil [1][2][3][4], removal of metal contaminants from the soil and groundwater [5], removal of calcium ions and polychlorinated biphenyls [6], remediation of monuments [7], CO2 sequestration [8], bio-deposition on porous materials such as limestone and brick [9,10], and, more recently, durability improvement of cementitious materials such as concrete [11][12][13].…”

Microorganisms meet solid minerals: interactions and biotechnological applications

“…Bacteria capable of biomineralization can be used for the biological repair of small cracks in concrete as well as the development of self-healing concrete (DeJong et al 2006;Seifan et al 2016). Alkali resistant Bacillus sp., which precipitates calcium carbonate as calcite, aragonite and vaterite minerals, have been investigated as potential healing agents (Jonkers and Schlangen 2008;Van Tittelboom et al 2010;Wiktor and Jonkers 2011).…”