Seawater Used as a Natural Medium for Curing Bacterially-Treated Concrete with Either Lightweight or Normal Weight Aggregates
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 9
Abstract
The present study investigates the use of bacteria (namely, Sporosarcina pasteurii) to enhance the durability of structural concrete members with lightweight weight aggregates (LWAs) or normal weight aggregates (NWAs). As an innovative development, bacterially-induced calcium carbonate crystals have been widely used for improving the properties of concrete materials. In this research, seawater is used as a source of calcium and chloride for calcium carbonate formation by bacteria, whereby seawater serves as a curing environment with beneficial effects on both concrete matrix and durability. For this study, concrete specimens are cured in the two seawater and tap water environments up to the test time. Experimental results indicate that the inclusion of bacteria in the concrete mix water leads to acceptable results in seawater medium and both types of concrete tested. This is evidenced by a decrease of 4% in water absorption and an increase of almost 26% in compressive strength observed in normal-weight aggregate concrete after 91 days of curing. Moreover, both types of concrete made with bacterially-impregnated mix water exhibit reductions in their chloride penetration. In this regard, compared with the control specimens cured in plain water, the bacterially-treated LWA concrete specimens exhibited a reduction of almost 1% in their water absorption and a rise of about 16% in their compressive strength. It is, therefore, expected that exposure to seawater as a threat to concrete structures can be turned into an opportunity for improving their properties if the concrete is properly treated with bacteria.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
No data, models, or codes were generated or used during the study.
References
Abo-El-Enein, S. A., A. H. Ali, F. N. Talkhan, and H. A. Abdel-Gawwad. 2012. “Utilization of microbial induced calcite precipitation for sand consolidation and mortar crack remediation.” HBRC J. 8 (3): 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hbrcj.2013.02.001.
Achal, V., X. Pan, D. Zhang, and Q. Fu. 2012. “Bioremediation of Pb-contaminated soil based on microbially induced calcite precipitation.” J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 22 (2): 244–247. https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.1108.08033.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 2004. Standard practice for selecting proportions for structural lightweight concrete. ACI 211.2-98. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 2009. Standard practice for selecting proportions for normal, heavyweight, and mass concrete. ACI 211.1-91. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
Anbu, P., C. H. Kang, Y. J. Shin, and J. S. So. 2016. “Formations of calcium carbonate minerals by bacteria and its multiple applications.” Springerplus 5 (1): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-1869-2.
ASTM. 2012a. Standard test method for electrical indication of concrete’s ability to resist chloride ion penetration. ASTM C1202. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2012b. Standard test method for bulk electrical conductivity of hardened concrete. ASTM C1760. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2013. Standard test method for density, absorption, and voids in hardened concrete. ASTM C642. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Bang, S. S., J. K. Galinat, and V. Ramakrishnan. 2001. “Calcite precipitation induced by polyurethane immobilized bacillus pasteurii.” Enzyme Microb. Technol. 28 (4–5): 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0141-0229(00)00348-3.
Basheer, L., J. Kropp, and D. J. Cleland. 2001. “Assessment of the durability of concrete from its permeation properties: A review.” Constr. Build. Mater. 15 (2–3): 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0950-0618(00)00058-1.
Chahal, N., R. Siddique, and A. Rajor. 2012a. “Influence of bacteria on the compressive strength, water absorption and rapid chloride permeability of concrete incorporating silica fume.” Constr. Build. Mater. 37 (Dec): 645–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.07.029.
Chahal, N., R. Siddique, and A. Rajor. 2012b. “Influence of bacteria on the compressive strength, water absorption and rapid chloride permeability of fly ash concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 28 (1): 351–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.07.042.
Chrismaningwang, G., A. Basuki, and K. A. Sambowo. 2017. “The effect of seawater curing on the correlation between split tensile strength and modulus of rupture in high-strength concrete incorporating rice husk ash.” Procedia Eng. 171: 774–780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.01.447.
Da, B., H. Yu, H. Ma, Y. Tan, R. Mi, and X. Dou. 2016. “Chloride diffusion study of coral concrete in a marine environment.” Constr. Build. Mater. 123 (Oct): 47–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.06.135.
De Belie, N. 2016. “Application of bacteria in concrete: A critical evaluation of the current status.” RILEM Tech. Lett. 1: 56. https://doi.org/10.21809/rilemtechlett.2016.14.
De Muynck, W., N. De Belie, and W. Verstraete. 2010a. “Microbial carbonate precipitation in construction materials: A review.” Ecol. Eng. 36 (2): 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2009.02.006.
De Muynck, W., K. Verbeken, N. De Belie, and W. Verstraete. 2010b. “Influence of urea and calcium dosage on the effectiveness of bacterially induced carbonate precipitation on limestone.” Ecol. Eng. 36 (2): 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2009.03.025.
Edvardsen, C. 1999. “Water permeability and autogenous healing of cracks in concrete.” ACI Mater. J. 96 (4): 448–454.
Etxeberria, M., A. Gonzalez-Corominas, and P. Pardo. 2016. “Influence of seawater and blast furnace cement employment on recycled aggregate concretes’ properties.” Constr. Build. Mater. 115 (Jul): 496–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.04.064.
Ganendra, G., et al. 2014. “Formate oxidation-driven calcium carbonate precipitation by Methylocystis parvus OBBP.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 80 (15): 4659–4667.
Ganjian, E., and H. S. Pouya. 2005. “Effect of magnesium and sulfate ions on durability of silica fume blended mixes exposed to the seawater tidal zone.” Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (7): 1332–1343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.09.028.
Hamilton, W. A. 2003. “Microbially influenced corrosion as a model system for the study of metal microbe interactions: A unifying electron transfer hypothesis.” Biofouling 19 (1): 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/0892701021000041078.
Hosseini Balam, N., D. Mostofinejad, and M. Eftekhar. 2017a. “Use of carbonate precipitating bacteria to reduce water absorption of aggregates.” Constr. Build. Mater. 577 (Jun): 141565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.03.042.
Hosseini Balam, N., D. Mostofinejad, and M. Eftekhar. 2017b. “Effects of bacterial remediation on compressive strength, water absorption, and chloride permeability of lightweight aggregate concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 116 (Aug): 145107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.04.003.
Jagadeesha Kumar, B. G., R. Prabhakara, and H. Pushpa. 2013. “Effect of bacterial calcite precipitation on compressive strength of mortar cubes.” Int. J. Eng. Adv. Technol. 2 (3): 486–491.
Karimi, N., and D. Mostofinejad. 2020. “Bacillus subtilis bacteria used in fiber reinforced concrete and their effects on concrete penetrability.” Constr. Build. Mater. 230 (Jan): 117051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117051.
Khaliq, W., and M. B. Ehsan. 2016. “Crack healing in concrete using various bio influenced self-healing techniques.” Constr. Build. Mater. 102 (Part 1): 349–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.11.006.
Kumar, J. B., R. Prabhakara, and H. Pushpa. 2013. “Bio mineralisation of calcium carbonate by different bacterial strains and their application in concrete crack remediation.” Int. J. Adv. Eng. Technol. 6 (1): 202–213.
Madani, H., A. Bagheri, T. Parhizkar, and A. Raisghasemi. 2014. “Chloride penetration and electrical resistivity of concretes containing nanosilica hydrosols with different specific surface areas.” Cem. Concr. Res. 53 (Oct): 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2014.06.006.
Martinez, R. E., O. Pourret, and Y. Takahashi. 2014. “Modeling of rare earth element sorption to the Gram positive Bacillus subtilis bacteria surface.” J. Colloid Interface Sci. 413 (Jan): 106–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2013.09.037.
Mitchell, A. C., K. Dideriksen, L. H. Spangler, A. B. Cunningham, and R. Gerlach. 2010. “Microbially enhanced carbon capture and storage by mineral-trapping and solubility-trapping.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 44 (13): 5270–5276. https://doi.org/10.1021/es903270w.
Navneet, C., R. Anita, and S. Rafat. 2011. “Calcium carbonate precipitation by different bacterial strains.” Afr. J. Biotechnol. 10 (42): 8359–8372. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB11.345.
Neville, A. 1995. “Chloride attack of reinforcement conccrete an overview.” Mater. Struct. 28 (2): 63–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473172.
Nokken, M. R., and R. D. Hooton. 2006. “Electrical conductivity testing a prequalification and quality assurance tool.” Concr. Int. 28 (11): 58–63.
Nosouhian, F., and D. Mostofinejad. 2016. “Reducing permeability of concrete by bacterial mediation on surface using treatment gel.” ACI Mater. J. 113 (3): 287–293. https://doi.org/10.14359/51688701.
Nosouhian, F., D. Mostofinejad, and H. Hasheminejad. 2015. “Influence of biodeposition treatment on concrete durability in a sulphate environment.” Biosyst. Eng. 133 (3): 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2015.03.008.
Nosouhian, F., D. Mostofinejad, and H. Hasheminejad. 2016. “Concrete durability improvement in a sulfate environment using bacteria.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 28 (1): 04015064. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001337.
Okwadha, G. D. O., and J. Li. 2011. “Biocontainment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on flat concrete surfaces by microbial carbonate precipitation.” J. Environ. Manage. 92 (10): 2860–2864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.05.029.
Parastegari, N., D. Mostofinejad, and D. Poursina. 2019. “Use of bacteria to improve electrical resistivity and chloride penetration of air-entrained concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 210 (Jun): 588–595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.150.
Saha, A., S. Pan, and S. Pan. 2014. “Strength development characteristics of high strength concrete incorporating an Indian fly ash.” J. Technol. Enhanc. Emerg. Eng. Res. 2 (6): 101–107.
Salmasi, F., and D. Mostofinejad. 2020. “Investigating the effects of bacterial activity on compressive strength and durability of natural lightweight aggregate concrete reinforced with steel fibers.” Constr. Build. Mater. 251 (Aug): 119032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119032.
Schultze-Lam, S., D. Fortin, B. Davis, and T. Beveridge. 1996. “Mineralization of bacterial surfaces.” Chem. Geol. 132 (1–4): 171–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-2541(96)00053-8.
Senthilkumar, V., T. Palanisamy, and V. N. Vijayakumar. 2014. “Comparative studies on strength characteristics of microbial cement mortars.” Int. J. ChemTech Res. 6 (1): 578–590.
Siddique, R., and N. K. Chahal. 2011. “Effect of ureolytic bacteria on concrete properties.” Constr. Build. Mater. 25 (10): 3791–3801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.04.010.
Sumanasooriya, M. S., and N. Neithalath. 2011. “Pore structure features of pervious concretes proportioned for desired porosities and their performance prediction.” Cem. Concr. Res. 33 (8): 778–787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2011.06.002.
Tayebani, B., and D. Mostofinejad. 2019a. “Penetrability, corrosion potential, and electrical resistivity of bacterial concrete.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 31 (3): 04019002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002618.
Tayebani, B., and D. Mostofinejad. 2019b. “Self-healing bacterial mortar with improved chloride permeability and electrical resistance.” Constr. Build. Mater. 208 (May): 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.02.172.
Van Paassen, L. A., C. M. Daza, M. Staal, D. Y. Sorokin, W. van der Zon, and M. C. M. van Loosdrecht. 2010. “Potential soil reinforcement by biological denitrification.” Ecol. Eng. 36 (2): 168–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2009.03.026.
Vekariya, M. S., and J. Pitroda. 2013. “Bacterial concrete: New era for construction industry.” Int. J. Eng. Trends Technol. 4 (9): 4128–4137.
Wei, X., L. Xiao, and Z. Li. 2012. “Prediction of standard compressive strength of cement by the electrical resistivity measurement.” Constr. Build. Mater. 31 (Jun): 341–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.12.111.
Xu, J., and W. Yao. 2014. “Multiscale mechanical quantification of self-healing concrete incorporating non-ureolytic bacteria-based healing agent.” Cem. Concr. Res. 64 (Oct): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2014.06.003.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 9 • September 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 14, 2020
Accepted: Jan 22, 2021
Published online: Jun 17, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Nov 17, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Niloofar Parastegari, Davood Mostofinejad, Davood Poursina, An Investigation on Bacterial Air-Entrained Concrete Permeability using Statistical Modeling, Advances in Civil Engineering Materials, 10.1520/ACEM20210010, 11, 1, (20210010), (2022).
- Davood Mostofinejad, Nasrin Karimi, Bahareh Tayebani, Effect of Bacterial Spore in Surface-Treated Fiber-Reinforced Concrete, ACI Materials Journal, 10.14359/51737198, 119, 6, (2022).
- Parisa Salehi, Hooshang Dabbagh, Morahem Ashengroph, Effects of microbial strains on the mechanical and durability properties of lightweight concrete reinforced with polypropylene fiber, Construction and Building Materials, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126519, 322, (126519), (2022).
- Mohammad Mirshahmohammad, Hamid Rahmani, Mahdi Maleki-Kakelar, Abbas Bahari, Effect of sustained service loads on the self-healing and corrosion of bacterial concretes, Construction and Building Materials, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126423, 322, (126423), (2022).