Non-Ureolytic Bacterial Carbonate Precipitation as a Surface Treatment Strategy on Cementitious Materials
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 5
Abstract
Bacterially induced precipitation is a general phenomenon in nature. It has been proposed as an environmentally friendly strategy for the protection of cementitious materials. This paper investigates the biochemistry of precipitation induced by non-ureolytic bacteria of the genus Bacillus. Different calcium sources are compared for their effectiveness in bacterial mediation of precipitation. Surface treatment using this biodeposition technique is evaluated by parameters affecting the durability of cementitious materials. Outcomes from this study reveal that the type of calcium source has a profound impact on the biochemical process and the crystal form, size, and morphology of bacterially mediated mineralization of . An organic calcium source, particularly calcium glutamate, is beneficial for efficient precipitation. Bacterial surface treatment on specimens results in a decrease of more than 50% in capillary water absorption and an increase of nearly 50% in resistance to carbonation; this is mainly attributed to pore blocking effects. This novel biological surface treatment shows particularly promising prospects for increasing the durability aspects of concrete constructions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support for this study by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51008227), the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program: 2011CB013800), and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20100072120032).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 5 • May 2014
Pages: 983 - 991
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 19, 2013
Accepted: Jul 18, 2013
Published online: Jul 20, 2013
Discussion open until: Dec 20, 2013
Published in print: May 1, 2014
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