Recovering of Cracks in Concrete to Enhance Its Strength by Bacillus licheniformis - A Biomineralization Study

Abstract

Concrete is a strong and durable material composed of cement, aggregate and water which is commonly used in construction. Concrete performs better under compression, but as the concrete is stressed internally, cracks are formed. The water and other salts penetrate through the cracks in concrete which may induce corrosion and reduce the durability of concrete. In such cases, the cracks and splits formed can be filled within itself with some bacteria by biomineralization process in order to enhance the properties of concrete. In our study, we examined the characteristics of few microbes that are extracted by mineral precipitation process especially to fill the cracks in the concrete. In the present investigation, gram positive spore shaping microorganism, such as Bacillus licheniformis, is used in concrete. It was found that the modulus of rupture of concrete were enhanced by more than 50%.  Therefore, this ecofriendly bioconcrete technology can be very well used to protect concrete structures. The results obtained from the above experiment are discussed in this research article