Long-Term Self-Healing Capability of Cracked Microbial Mortar under Water Immersion-Ambient Exposure Conditions

Abstract

Abstract: To ensure the long-term self-healing capability of microorganisms is crucial for repairing cracked concrete structures through microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology. The long-term microbial self-healing capabilities of cracked mortar mixed with Bacillus Pseudofirmus, exposed to water immersion-ambient exposure conditions, were studied by means of comprehensive utilization of crack geometric measurement, as well as XRD, EDS, and SEM analyses. The experimental results reveal that after a 150 d water immersion period, the crack area repair ratio of the samples with initial width below 200 μm is over 80%. The maximum healed crack with a width of 507.8 μm is observed. Furthermore, denser white precipitates are noted on the surface of those 1 500 d samples, but with a limited efficiency in further reducing crack width. However, the white precipitate observed on the newly saw-cut section of a 1 500 d sample provides evidence that Bacillus Pseudofirmus within the mortar has long-term self-healing capability. The results of XRD, EDS, and SEM analyses confirm that the predominant self-healing product within the cracks is microbially induced calcite.

Key words: microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation, cementitious material, self-healing, crack, Bacillus Pseudofirmus, micromorphology

CLC Number:

TU528

WANG Licheng, ZOU Kai. Long-Term Self-Healing Capability of Cracked Microbial Mortar under Water Immersion-Ambient Exposure Conditions[J]. BULLETIN OF THE CHINESE CERAMIC SOCIETY, 2025, 44(3): 842-851.

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