Low Temperature Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation and Its Application in Concrete Crack Repair

Abstract

Abstract: In recent years, microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has become an efficient and environmentally friendly technology for repairing concrete cracks. In this paper, a mineralization microorganism that grows in a low temperature environment was selected, and then the changes of Ca²⁺ concentration, pH value and calcification rate were studied in alkaline solution to reveal the dynamic process of microbial induced mineralization. Subsequently, the microorganism was applied to the self-healing of concrete cracks, and the crack healing ratio and permeability coefficient were used to characterize the self-healing effect of concrete cracks. The results show that the microorganism quickly reduces the Ca²⁺ concentration in the solution and increases the calcification rate. Meanwhile, the mineralization products are mainly spherical calcite CaCO₃. For the early concrete cracks with the width of less than 0.50 mm, the surface of the crack basically fills with white precipitations after 28 d healing time at the curing temperature of 10 ℃, and the permeability coefficient drops by two orders of magnitude. In addition, the healing products at the crack mouth are mainly spherical calcite CaCO₃ with different sizes.

Key words: low temperature, microorganism, mineralization, crack self-healing, self-healing effect, calcification rate, calcium carbonate

CLC Number:

YI Dan, YANG Guojun. Low Temperature Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation and Its Application in Concrete Crack Repair[J]. BULLETIN OF THE CHINESE CERAMIC SOCIETY, 2022, 41(3): 959-968.

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