Effects of Microbial Carbonate Precipitation on Transport Properties of Fiber Cement Composites
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28, Issue 5
Abstract
Fibers have been used to improve the mechanical and physical properties of cement-based material since the late 1960s. The inclusion of high-dosage and high-aspect ratio microfibers, however, introduces new interfaces between the fiber phase and the matrix phase that may alter the transport properties of fiber cement composites. This paper reports the effects of microbial carbonate precipitation (MCP) on the transport properties of fiber cement composites (FCCs). The results show that the transport properties of untreated FCC increase with fiber dosage as well as fiber aspect ratio due to higher porosity and better pore connectivity. MCP treatment greatly reduced the transport properties of FCC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses confirm the precipitates were in the form of rhombohedral calcite, which suggests slower MCP due to the growing environment and culturing condition used in this study.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from the SinBerBEST program, National Research Foundation, Singapore, and from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (COE_SUG/RSS_19MAR10_1/23). Technical assistance from David Qin Sheng Tng, Annabel Tan, and Hwee Sam Ong were acknowledged and appreciated.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28 • Issue 5 • May 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 25, 2015
Accepted: Oct 9, 2015
Published online: Dec 31, 2015
Published in print: May 1, 2016
Discussion open until: May 31, 2016
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