Work

Mechanical and Self-Healing Performance of Cement Composites Containing Bacteria Extracted from Waste Concrete

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Cracks can reduce the durability of concrete structures. To mitigate the damage caused, self-healing technologies using bacteria and cement-based materials can be utilized. For self-healing, bacteria contained within the matrix are advantageous because they can heal cracks upon introducing oxygen and water under favorable conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that Lysinibacillus fusiformis isolated from waste concrete induces calcite precipitation in a cement-based material. Replacing 5–20% of the mixing water with the bacterial solution increased mortar flow, and the initial compressive strength increased with the bacterial content. After long-term aging, the compressive strength of the sample with 20% bacterial solution was ~45.6 MPa, the highest among all samples. In terms of durability, the bacterial solution reduced the carbonation depth compared with that of a control sample without added bacteria, and the 20% sample showed 53% higher carbonation resistance than the control. In terms of the self-healing performance, the bacteria-loaded samples showed higher compressive strength recovery rates than the control sample, with the 20% sample showing the highest rate of approximately 131%. Therefore, L. fusiformis derived from waste concrete is a promising candidate bacterium for enhancing the durability and self-healing efficiency of cement composites.

Source: Materials

DOI: 10.3390/ma18245483

Authors: Se-Jin Choi, Jeong-Yeon Park, Jung-Mi Kim, Ha-Yeon Song, Jae-In Lee

Institution: Wonkwang University

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Applications in Construction Materials

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137