Experimental Investigation of Bacteria-Based Self-Healing Concrete through Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation

Elayaraja S; Sathyakumar N

doi:10.34256/ijceae2612

Elayaraja S Department of Civil Engineering, PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research, Coimbatore, India
Sathyakumar N Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34256/ijceae2612

Keywords: Bacterial Concrete, Bacillus Subtilis, Calcium Lactate, Crack Closure, Microbial-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation, Self-Healing Concrete

Abstract

Cracking accelerates the ingress of water and aggressive species into concrete and consequently reduces the durability of civil infrastructure. This experimental study evaluates a bacteria-based self-healing concrete containing Bacillus subtilis and calcium lactate as a nutrient source. Three mixtures were considered: a control mixture without bacteria (M1), concrete containing 10⁵ cells/mL (M2), and concrete containing 10⁷ cells/mL (M3). Compressive strength was measured after 7, 14, and 28 days. Crack closure was monitored for an initial crack width of 0.50 mm, and water absorption was evaluated for the control and highest-concentration mixtures. At 28 days, M2 and M3 achieved compressive strengths of 34.7 and 35.8 MPa, respectively, compared with 32.5 MPa for M1. The corresponding increases were 6.8% and 10.2%. After 28 days of healing exposure, the crack width decreased to 0.05 mm in M3, corresponding to 90% apparent crack closure, whereas the control crack decreased only to 0.45 mm. Water absorption decreased from a reported control value interpreted as 5.02% to 3.8% for M3. These results indicate that the higher bacterial concentration improved compressive strength, reduced water absorption, and promoted crack sealing under the reported laboratory conditions. The findings remain preliminary because replicate numbers, variability, mineralogical confirmation, permeability measurements, and long-term durability data were not supplied.

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