International Conference on Sustainable Civil Infrastructure 2014.

*Corresponding Author vempada@gmail.com ph:9704683149

STUDIES ON CHARACTERIZATION OF CACO
3
PRECIPITATION IN
BACTERIAL CONCRETE
M V Seshagiri Rao
1
, V Srinivasa Reddy
2*
, V Chinni
3
, M Azmatunnisa
4
1
Department of Civil Engineering, Professor,JNTUH College of Enginnering,Hyderbad,500085,India
2
Department of Civil Engineering, Associate Professor, GRIET, Hyderabad, 500090, India
3
Department of Civil Engineering, PG Student ,JNTUH College of Enginnering,Hyderbad,500085,India
4
Centre for Environment, JNTU,Hyderbad,500085,India

ABSTRACT

Concrete durability is the function of its internal pore structure and distribution, porosity
and its permeation properties. Research has shown that some bacterial species isolated from soil
can resist harsh and challenging environment and can be used in remediating cracks and enhance
pore size distribution in concrete structures. This state-of-the-art microbial based crack healing
mechanism is one such phenomenon on which studies were carried out to investigate the role of
calcite mineral precipitation in improvement of durability in bacteria integrated concrete.
Quantification and Characterization of produced calcium carbonate crystals is done using various
nanocharacterization techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction
(XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA)
confirms that cracks/pores were sealed up by calcite crystals grown due to complex metabolic
mechanism of nitrogen cycle by Bacillus subtilis JC3. This paper presents the research findings
of the structural and morphological evolution of the calcium carbonate precipitation in the pores
of bacterial concrete Bacillus subtilis JC3 and its function on strength improvement. This
improvement in compressive strength is due to deposition of calcite crystals in the voids /or the
pores within cementsand matrix modifying the pore structure of bacteria induced cement mortar
specimens (reduction in porosity). An increase in bacterial cell concentrations above 1x 10
5
cells
per ml of mixing water reduces the strength of cement mortar cube specimens due to disruption
of cement mortar matrix integrity with the presence of organic matter in the form of biomass (due
to the presence of total solids and suspended matter), above the permissible limits specified as
per IS 456 in mixing water. Improvement in hydrated structure of cement-sand mortar treated
with Bacillus subtilis JC3 can be observed in a magnified view (2500x) of SEM micrographs.
The morphology of the newly formed crystals of rhombohedra shape suggests that the mineral
may be CaCO
3
and its formation could be the result of the metabolic conversion of the nutrients
by Bacillus subtilis JC3. Mineralogical compositions of the deposited CaCO
3
crystals were
investigated with X-ray powder diffraction analysis. Through performance of the TGA analysis,
the presence of CaCO
3
in the repair material is determined. Bacterial precipitates of Bacillus
subtilis JC3 strain was analyzed using Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to
identify the genus of produced precipitate.

Keywords: bacterial concrete, Bacillus subtilis, Scanning Electron microscope (SEM), X-ray
diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), Thermo gravimetric
analysis (TGA).