HEALING DEPTH AND FUNCTIONALITY REGAIN OF NON-AXENIC GRANULATED CULTURE BASED SELF-HEALING CONCRETE

Author(s): Yusuf Ç. Erşan, Damian Palin, Henk Jonkers, Nico Boon and Nele De Belie
Paper category: Proceedings
Book title: Proceedings of the Final Conference of RILEM 253-MCI Microorganisms-Cementitious Materials Interactions Volume II
Editor(s): Alexandra Bertron and Henk Jonkers
ISBN: 978-2-35158-207-7 (Set)
ISBN: 978-2-35158-210-7 (Volume 2)
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-206-0
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2018
Pages: 511-520
Total Pages: 308
Language : English

Abstract: Microorganisms can enhance functions present in cementitious composites. For instance, biomineralization is a popular phenomenon used to enhance the healing capacity of concrete. Various axenic cultures are tested accordingly and proposed as healing agents to enhance the self-healing capacity of cementitious composites. Meanwhile the advantageous traits of non- axenic cultures such as economic feasibility and high specific activity have been overlooked and thus their performance as a healing agent remains unclear. It is necessary to investigate cementitious composites that contain a non-axenic culture as well for a justified evaluation of available healing agents. Here we present the self-healing performance of a mortar containing NO3 - reducing non-axenic culture as a healing agent. Specimens with a defined crack width of 400 μm were used in the experiments and treated with tap water. Self-healing was quantified via crack closure, water permeability and sealing thickness along the crack depth. Complete crack sealing was achieved in microbe-based specimens in 28 days. The thickness of the sealed layer was recorded as ~5 mm and the water permeability under 0.1 bar pressure decreased by 80% upon microbial self-healing. Overall, non-axenic cultures have great potential for development of self-healing bioconcrete and due to their economic feasibility they may supersede axenic cultures in situ.

Online publication : 2018
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros) : 0.00