Bibliographic survey and comprehensive review on mechanical and durability properties of microorganism based self-healing concrete

Abstract

Concrete is the most widely utilized material for construction purposes, second only to water, in the ever-increasing need for construction globally. Concrete is a brittle material and possesses a high risk of crack formation and consequent deterioration. Cracking, which allows chemicals to enter and can cause concrete structures to lose their physico-mechanical and durability features. Repairing and rehabilitating concrete structures involves high costs and leads to various repair methods including coating, adhesives, polymers, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and fibers. One of the latest technologies is the use of microorganisms in concrete. These added microorganisms lead to calcite precipitation and thereby heal the cracks effectively. This study presents a comprehensive literature survey on bacteria-included concrete, before which a bibliographic survey is performed using VOSViewer software. In addition to regular bacterial concrete, this study focuses on also using SCMs and fibers in bacterial concrete. A detailed literature review with data representation for various mechanical properties including compressive strength (CS), split tensile strength (SS), and flexure strength (FS), along with durability properties including carbonation, water absorption, resistance against chloride ion penetration, gas permeation, and resistance against cyclic freeze-and-thaw is presented. A study on the use of X-ray computed tomography (XCT) in bacterial concrete is highlighted, and the scope for future research, along with identification of the research gap, is presented.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

bacterial concrete / bibliographic survey / biomineralization / carbonation / fibers

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Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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