Low Carbon Bacterial Self-Healing Concrete

Medeiros, Joao Miguel Peres ORCID: 0000-0003-4802-555X and Di Sarno, Luigi ORCID: 0000-0001-6244-3251 (2022) Low Carbon Bacterial Self-Healing Concrete. BUILDINGS, 12 (12). p. 2226.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122226

Abstract

<jats:p>A greener and more sustainable option is proposed to shift the construction paradigm of high embedded carbon values in concrete and the frequency of repairs when it cracks. Using low-carbon concrete with a bacterial self-healing agent can reduce the embedded carbon value while adding value to the structure. This paper aims to evaluate the interaction of a bacterial self-healing agent on the mechanical properties of low-carbon concrete, specifically 50% Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) as an Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) replacement. A range of tests is conducted to test the evolution of mechanical properties throughout the early stages of curing for 7, 14, and 28 days. Such tests included the evaluation of compression, flexural, tensile splitting strength and dynamic elastic modulus. The results of the experiments demonstrate that early stages of GGBS mixes exhibit lower compressive capacity throughout the 28-day mark but also indicate their potential to increase sharply and surpass the control mix values after 28 days. The self-healing agent interacts slightly with the GGBS mixes, further reducing the mechanical properties in the early curing stages. However, GGBS mixes increase sharply after the 28-day mark, with the added benefit of further reducing carbon emissions by extending design life and durability. In theory, the newly developed concrete can seal cracks up to 0.3 mm (up to 0.8 mm if using the maximum dosage) but seal wider cracks from laboratory results. These changes imply that using GGBS as a replacement for OPC is viable for structures that do not require high compressive values in the early curing stages but after the 28-day mark while reducing the carbon emission values substantially, in this case, 40%, or up to 50% if using a self-healing agent. This low-carbon concrete is thus a sustainable and resilient material, especially for retrofitting existing reinforced concrete infrastructure.</jats:p>

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	compression test, dynamic elastic modulus, early mechanical properties, flexural test, GGBS, low-carbon concrete, self-healing agent, surface crack sealing, tensile splitting test
Divisions:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	12 Jan 2023 11:03
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2024 13:40
DOI:	10.3390/buildings12122226
Open Access URL:	https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/12/12/2226
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3167006