Effect of Ureolytic Bacillus subtilis Bacteria on Concrete

Abstract

The application of concrete is rapidly increasing worldwide and therefore the development of bacterial mediated concrete is urgently needed for environmental reasons. As presently, about 8% of atmospheric carbon dioxide emission is due to cement production, mechanisms that would contribute to longer service life of concrete structures would make the material not only more durable but also self-repair, i.e., the autonomous healing of cracks in concrete. In this study application of ureolytic Bacillus syphilis bacteria for grade M30 concrete at various concentrations has been shown to have reduce water absorption and increase compressive strength. Microbial self‐healing of cracks in the concrete shows promising results at the laboratory seepage test scale.  However, their self‐healing efficiency needs to be further proven in larger concrete elements, and under non‐ideal conditions. Further research should be conducted with the application of Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) should be employed to investigate the morphology and chemical constituents of self-healing products and to observe the self- healing process and detect the components of the precipitation.