CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General
Concrete is a vital building material that is an absolutely essential component of public
infrastructure and most buildings. It is most effective when reinforced by steel rebar,
mainly because its tensile strength without reinforcement is considerably low relative
to its compressive strength. It is also a very brittle material with low tolerance for strain,
so it is commonly expected to crack with time. These cracks, while not compromising
structural integrity immediately, do expose the steel reinforcement to the elements,
leading to corrosion which heightens maintenance costs and compromises structural
integrity over long periods of time. That being said, concrete is a high maintenance
material. It cracks and suffers serious wear and tear over the decades of its expected
term of service. It is not flexible and cannot handle significant amounts of strain. Self-
healing concrete in general seeks to rectify these flaws in order to extend the service
life of any given concrete structure.
There is a material in the realm of self-healing concrete in development, now, that can
solve many of the problems commonly associated with standard concrete. This material
is bacterial self- healing concrete, Self-healing concrete consists of a mix with bacteria
incorporated into the concrete and calcium factate food to support those bacteria when
they become active. The bacteria, feeding on the provided food source, heal the damage
done and can also reduce the amount of damage sustained by the concrete structure in
place.
1.2 Cement
The word "cement" can be traced back to the Roman term opus caementicium, used to
describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed rock with
burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick supplements that were
added to the burnt lime, to obtain a hydraulic binder, were later referred to as cementum,
cimentum, cäment, and cement. In modern times, organic polymers are sometimes used
as cements in concrete.

1
 Cement is a binder, a substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to
other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to
bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces
mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete. Concrete is the most
widely used material in existence and is only behind water as the planet's most-
consumed resource.
Because it is a major component of both of these building materials, cement is an
extremely important construction material. It is used in the production of the many
structures that make up the modern world including buildings, bridges, harbours,
runways and roads.
1.3 Concrete
Concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, water, aggregates, and in some cases,
admixtures. The cement and water form a paste that hardens and bonds the aggregates
together. Concrete is often looked upon as “man-made rock”. Concrete is the most
widely used construction material in the world. In the United States almost twice as
much concrete is used as all other construction materials combined. Concrete is a
versatile construction material, adaptable to a wide variety of agricultural and
residential uses. Concrete has strength, durability, versatility, and economy. It can be
placed or molded into virtually any shape and reproduce any surface texture.
1.3.1 Properties of concrete
Different properties of concrete:
 Grades (M20, M25, M30 etc.)
 Compressive strength
 Characteristic Strength
 Tensile strength
 Durability
 Creep
 Shrinkage
 Unit weight
 Modular Ratio
 Poisson’s ratio
1. Grades of concrete:
2
 Concrete is known by its grade which is designated as M15, M20 etc. in
which letter M refers to concrete mix and number 15, 20 denotes the
specified compressive strength (fck) of 150mm cube at 28 days, expressed
in N/mm2.Thus, concrete is known by its compressive strength. M20 and
M25 are the most common grades of concrete, and higher grades of concrete
should be used for severe, very severe and extreme environments.
2. Compressive strength of concrete:
Like load, the strength of the concrete is also a quality which varies
considerably for the same concrete mix. Therefore, a single representative
value, known as characteristic strength is used.
3. Characteristic strength of concrete:
It is defined as the value of the strength below which not more than 5% of
the test results are expected to fall (i.e., there is 95% probability of achieving
this value only 5% of not achieving the same).
4. Tensile strength of concrete:
The estimate of flexural tensile strength or the modulus of rupture or the
cracking strength of concrete from cube compressive strength is obtained by
the relations
fcr = 0.7 fck N/mm2. The tensile strength of concrete in direct tension is
obtained experimentally by split cylinder. It varies between 1/8 to 1/12 of
cube compressive strength.
5. Creep in concrete:
Creep is defined as the plastic deformation under sustained load. Creep
strain depends primarily on the duration of sustained loading. According to
the code, the value of the ultimate creep coefficient is taken as 1.6 at 28 days
of loading.
6. Shrinkage of Concrete:
The property of diminishing in volume during the process of drying and
hardening is termed Shrinkage. It depends mainly on the duration of
exposure. If this strain is prevented, it produces tensile stress in the concrete
and hence concrete develops cracks.
7. Modular ratio:
3
 Short term modular ratio is the modulus of elasticity of steel to the modulus
of elasticity of concrete. Short term modular ratio = Es / Ec
Es = modulus of elasticity of steel (2 x 10 5 N/mm2)
Ec = modulus of elasticity of concrete (5000 x SQRT(fck) N/mm2)
As the modulus of elasticity of concrete changes with time, age at loading
etc the modular ratio also changes accordingly. Taking into account the
effects of creep and shrinkage partially IS code gives the following
expression for the long-term modular ratio.
Long term modular ratio (m) = 280/ (3fcbc)
Where, fcbc = permissible compressive stress due to bending in concrete in
N/mm2.
8. Poisson’s ratio:
Poisson’s ratio varies between 0.1 for high strength concrete and 0.2 for
weak mixes. It is normally taken as 0.15 for strength design and 0.2 for
serviceability criteria.
9. Durability of concrete:
Durability of concrete is its ability to resist its disintegration and decay. One
of the chief characteristics influencing durability of concrete is its
permeability to increase of water and other potentially deleterious materials.
The desired low permeability in concrete is achieved by having adequate
cement, sufficient low water/cement ratio, by ensuring full compaction of
concrete and by adequate curing.
10. Unit weight of concrete:
The unit weight of concrete depends on percentage of reinforcement, type
of aggregate, amount of voids and varies from 23 to 26 kN/m2. The unit
weight of plain and reinforced concrete as specified by IS:456 are 24 and 25
KN/m3 respectively.
1.4 Cracks in concrete
In concrete cracks are most common due to its low tensile strength. High tensile stresses
impose deformations due to temperature gradients, reinforcement corrosion, silica
reaction, differential settlements and sulphate attack. If the treatment to cracks was not
instant and accurate, cracks tend to enlarge rapidly and need costly repairs. Micro-
4
 cracks developed in concrete allow liquids and gases through them which eventually
lead to damage not only concrete but also the reinforcement gets corroded. Therefore,
micro-cracks may lead to structural failure due to failure of both concrete and
reinforcement. To sustain and self-strengthening of concrete in harsh environments like
sea floors, off shores, highways, sewage pipes, bridges, tunnels and structures for
liquid, solid waste carrying toxic and radioactive waste bacteria (bacillus pasteurii) is
added. There are many techniques available for the treatment of cracks. Besides, by
these techniques there are disadvantageous like different thermal expansion coefficient,
environment hazard and health hazard. There is a necessity to develop a new biological
technique which is both environmental and health friendly. Therefore, bacterially
produced Calcite precipitation (CaCO3) is a biological technique called bio-
mineralization is used as self-healing concrete. This technique is also used to increase
the stiffness of the cracked concrete specimen. Microbial Calcite Precipitation (MICP)
technique lead to develop the research in its ability to heal the cracks in concrete,
restoration of historical monuments, sand consolidation and other such applications.
Use of these MICP techniques and Bio mineralogy lead to invention of new material
called Bacterial Concrete.
Types of cracks:
 Plastic shrinkage Cracks
 Settlement Cracks in Concrete
 Drying Shrinkage Cracks
 Cracks due to Chemical Reaction
 Weathering Cracks
 Corrosion of Reinforcement
 Errors in Design and Detailing
 Construction Overloads
1.5 Bacterial concrete
The concept of bacterial concrete was first introduced by V. Ramakrishnan. A novel
technique is adopted in remediating cracks and fissures in concrete by utilizing
microbiologically induced calcite (CaCO3) precipitation.
Microbiologically induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a technique that comes under
a broader category of science called biomineralization. Bacillus subtilis, a common soil
5
bacterium can induce the precipitation of calcite. As a microbial sealant, CaCO3
exhibited its positive potential in selectively consolidating simulated fractures and
surface fissures in granites and in the consolidation of sand.
Microbiologically induced calcite precipitation is highly desirable because the calcite
precipitation induced as a result of microbial activities, is pollution free and natural.
The technique can be used to improve the compressive strength and stiffness of cracked
concrete specimens.
The bacterial concrete makes use of calcite precipitation by bacteria. The phenomenon
is called microbiologically induced calcite precipitation (MICP). The pioneering work
on repairing concrete with MICP is reported by the research group of Ramakrishnan V
and others at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, USA.
The MICP is a technique that comes under a broader category of science called
biomineralization. It is a process by which living organisms or bacteria form inorganic
solids. Bacillus subtilis JC3, a common soil bacterium, can induce the precipitation of
calcite. Under favourable conditions Bacillus subtilis JC3, when used in concrete, can
continuously precipitate a new highly impermeable calcite layer over the surface of the
already existing concrete layer.
The precipitated calcite has a coarse crystalline structure that readily adheres to the
concrete surface in the form of scales. In addition to the ability to continuously grow
upon itself, it is highly insoluble in water. It resists the penetration of harmful agents
(chlorides, sulphates, carbon dioxide) into the concrete thereby decreasing the
deleterious effects they cause. Due to its inherent ability to precipitate calcite
continuously, bacterial concrete can be called a Smart Bio Material for repairing
concrete.
The MICP comprises a series of complex biochemical reactions. It is selective and its
efficiency is affected by the porosity of the medium, the number of cells present and
the total volume of nutrient added. The phosphate buffer or urea-CaCl2 has been found
effective as nutrients.
The bacteria precipitate calcite in the presence of nutrients. The optimum pH for growth
of B. pasteurii is around 9. The alkaline environment of concrete with pH around 12 is
the major hindering factor for the growth of bacteria. However, B. pasteurii has the
ability to produce endospores to endure an extreme environment, as observed by V.
6
 Ramakrishnan and the research team. The microbial modified mortar or concrete has
become an important area of research for high-performance construction materials.
Ghosh et al. investigated the effects of incorporating a facultative anaerobic hot spring
bacterium on the microstructure of a cement– sand mortar Bacterial concrete refers to
a new generation of concrete in which selective cementation by Micro biologically-
induced CaCO3 precipitation has been introduced for remediation of micro cracks. As
in those studies bacteria were manually and externally applied to existing structures,
this mode of repair cannot be categorized as truly self-healing. In several follow up
studies there is possibility is to use viable bacteria is unstainable and concrete embedded
self-healing agent was explored.
The Bacterial Concrete can be made by embedding bacteria in the concrete that are able
to constantly precipitate calcite. This phenomenon is called microbiologically induced
calcite precipitation. As per the present investigation it has been shown that under
favourable conditions for instance Bacillus subtillus, a common soil bacterium, can
continuously precipitate a new highly impermeable calcite layer over the surface of an
already existing concrete layer. Furthermore, the bacteria should be suspended in a
certain concentration in a certain medium before they are mixed through the concrete
ingredients. Optimization is needed here, which involves experimental testing.
Need For Bacterial Concrete:
The ongoing research in the field of concrete technology has lead to the development
of special concrete considering the speed of construction, the strength of concrete, the
durability of concrete and the environmental friendliness with industrial material like
fly ash, blast furnace slag, silica fume, metakaolin etc. The process can occur inside or
outside the microbial cell or even some distance away within the concrete of a bacterial
activity is simply trigger a change in solution Chemistry that leads to over saturation
and mineral precipitation.
1.5.1 Advantages and disadvantages of Bacterial Concrete:
Advantages:
 Self-repairing of cracks without any external aide.
 Significant increase in compressive strength and flexural strength when
compared to normal concrete.
 Resistance towards freeze-thaw attacks.
7
  Reduction in permeability of concrete.
 Reduces the corrosion of steel due to the cracks formation and improves the
durability of steel reinforced concrete.
 Bacillus bacteria are harmless to human life and hence it can be used effectively.
Disadvantages:
 Cost of bacterial concrete is double than conventional concrete.
 Growth of bacteria is not good in any atmosphere and media.
 The clay pellets holding the self-healing agent comprise 20% of the volume of
the concrete. This may become a shear zone or fault zone in the concrete.
 Design of mix concrete with bacteria here is not available any IS code or other
code.
 Investigation of calcite precipitate is costly.
1.6 Objective and scope of study
Cracks widths in concrete structure should be limited, mainly for durability reasons. If
cracks widths are too large the cracks need to be repaired or extra reinforcement is
needed in the design. If a method could be developed to automatically repair cracks in
concrete this would save an enormous amount of money, both on the costs of injection
fluids for cracks and also on the extra steel that is put in structures only to limit crack
widths. For structural reasons this extra steel has no meaning. A reliable self-healing
method for concrete would lead to a new way of designing durable concrete structures
which is beneficial for national and global economy.
The main of objective of the study is to find out the mechanical properties of bacterial
concrete mix by adding different proportion of fly ash or cement, water and aggregates
with suitable percentage of bacteria. The test results are compared with that of the
curing period of cubes and different proportions adding. Also observe the cracks
developed in the cubes during the hardening process and self-healing of concrete.

8
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Pappupreethi K, RajishaVelluva Ammakunnoth,2017 Concrete is the foremost
building material broadly used in building construction, but cracks in concrete are
inevitable and are one of the inherent weakness of concrete. The major downside of
concrete is its low tensile strength due to which micro crack occurs when the load
applied is more than its limit and this paves way for the seepage of water and other
salts. This initiates corrosion and makes the whole structure vulnerable and leads to the
failure of structure. To remediate this type of failure due to cracks and fissures, an
approach of using bio mineralisation in concrete has evolved in recent years. In this
method, of enhancing the performance of concrete, the calcite precipitating spore
forming bacteria is introduced into concrete. When water enters through the cracks, it
reacts with bacteria and forms precipitates of calcium carbonate, as a by-product, which
fills the cracks and makes crack free concrete. This type of concrete prepared with
bacteria is called as bacterial concrete. Thus, this paper is an attempt to define bacterial
concrete, types and classification of micro-organisms, working of bio concrete as a
repair material, advantages and disadvantages of bacterial concrete and applications by
literature review are discussed.
2. Abhishek Thakur, Akshay Phogat, Khushpreet,2016 The concrete structures have
various durability issues due to the different physiological conditions and it results to
irretrievable damage to the structure and eventually reduction in the strength of concrete
structure. The main reason behind the downgrading of the durability and mechanical
aspects of concrete is the pore structure of concrete. In the recent years MICCP
(microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation) by the bacteria considered
as an environment friendly method to enhance the properties of concrete, also for the
repair of concrete structure and to consolidate different construction materials. This
paper presents a review of different researches in the recent years on the use of bacterial
concrete/bio-concrete for the enhancement in the durability, mechanical and
permeation aspects of concrete. It contains studies on different bacteria’s, their isolation
process, different approaches for addition of bacteria in concrete, their effects on

9
 compressive strength and water absorption properties of concrete and also the SEM and
XRD analysis of concrete containing bacteria.
3. Abhishek Pandit, Sahila Shaikh, Pranjali Mangalwedhekar, Sakshi Jagtap,
Swapnil Gorade,2018 Concrete is a brittle material and it crack under sustained
loading and aggressive environment which effect on durability. Micro cracks formation
in concrete allows water, chemicals and gases to enter and degrade the concrete as well
as corrode the reinforcement. Repairing of cracks require regular maintenance and
sometimes special treatments which are expensive hence a novel technique come into
lime light which is addition of calcite mineral precipitating bacteria for plugging of
pores and cracks in concrete. This mechanism also called self-healing mechanism to
repair the crack by producing calcium carbonate crystals which seal the micro cracks
in concrete. Hence this paper presents a detail overview on bacterial concrete including
types of bacteria, methodologies, advantages, disadvantages etc.
4. Elzbieta Stanaszek-Toma,2020 The right selection of building materials plays an
important role when designing a building to fall within the definition of sustainable
development. One of the most commonly used construction materials is concrete. Its
production causes high energy burden on the environment. Concrete is susceptible to
external factors. Asa result, cracks occur in the material. Achieving its durability along
with the assumptions of sustainable construction means there is a need to use an
environmentally friendly and effective technique of alternative crack removal in the
damaged material. Bacterial self- healing concrete reduces costs in terms of detection
of damage and maintenance of concrete structures, thus ensuring a safe lifetime of the
structure. Bacterial concrete can improve its durability.
5. Katie Molyneux,2021 Bacterial concrete is concrete in which bacteria are embedded
and is a material which exploits the metabolic functions of these specially selected
bacteria, genus Bacillus. The bacteria are amalgamated within clay pellets along with
the nutrient calcium lactate. When the concrete around the pellet cracks, the pellets
break, and the bacteria metabolise the calcium lactate to produce insoluble calcium
carbonate, filling cracks up to ~2 mm wide. The addition of the clay pellets and the
bacteria to the concrete improves its compressive and tensile strengths, making it better
suited for applications where the concrete must endure severe stress. Consequently, the
modulus of toughness is improved, though the extent of the improvement depends on
10
the grade of concrete used. Bacterial concrete is industrially advantageous as its low
coefficient of permeability and high acid durability factor makes it less prone to
corrosion and less likely to require extensive repairs. This is ideal for structures that are
difficult or expensive to maintain as well as for use in motorways that endure corrosion
from salt used in de-icing. This review will focus on the properties of bacterial concrete
and its industrial use. It reveals that despite higher initial costs, the enhanced properties
of bacterial concrete compared to conventional concrete, makes it a more sustainable
material in the long run with an overall benefit to global carbon emissions.

11
 CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Bacteria
Bacteria are microscopic organisms, single-celled prokaryotic creatures. Bacteria come
in different shapes and the sizes. Bacteria are ubiquitous in every habitat on Earth,
growing in soil, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, water, and deep in the Earth's
crust, as well as in organic matter and the live bodies of plants and animals. There are
typically 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a
millilitre of fresh water; in all, there are approximately five nonillion (5×1030) bacteria
on Earth (Whitman et al. 1998, Vol.95) forming much of the world's biomass. Bacteria
were first observed by Antoine van Leeuwenhoek in 1676, using a single-lens
microscope of his own design. He called them "animalcules" and published his
observations in a series of letters to the Royal Society. The name bacterium was
introduced much later, by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1838. Louis Pasteur
demonstrated in 1859 that the fermentation process is caused by the growth of
microorganisms. Along with his contemporary, Robert Koch, Pasteur was an early
advocate of the germ theory of disease. There are broadly speaking two different types
of cell wall in bacteria, called Gram-positive and Gram-negative. The names originate
from the reaction of cells to the Gram stain, a test long employed for the classification
of bacterial species. In the laboratory, bacteria are usually grown using solid or liquid
media. Solid growth media such as agar plates are used to isolate pure cultures of a
bacterial strain. However, liquid growth media are used when measurement of growth
or large volumes of cells are required. Growth in stirred liquid media occurs as an even
cell suspension, making the cultures easy to divide and transfer, although isolating
single bacteria from liquid media is difficult. The use of selective media (media with
specific nutrients added or deficient or with antibiotics added) can help identify specific
organisms. Bacterial growth follows three phases. When a population of bacteria first
enters a high-nutrient environment that allows growth, the cells need to adapt to their
new environment. The first phase of growth is the lag phase, a period of slow growth
when the cells are adapting to the high- nutrient environment and preparing for fast
growth. The lag phase has high biosynthesis rates, as proteins necessary for rapid
12
 growth are produced. The second phase of growth is the logarithmic phase (log phase),
also known as the exponential phase. The log phase is marked by rapid exponential
growth. The rate at which cells grow during this phase is known as the growth rate, and
the time taken for the cells to double is known as the generation time. During log phase,
nutrients are metabolised at maximum speed until one of the nutrients is depleted and
starts limiting growth. The final phase of growth is the stationary phase and is caused
by depleted nutrients. The cells reduce their metabolic activity and consume non-
essential cellular proteins.
3.2 Bacillus subtillus
Researchers with different bacteria proposed different bacterial concretes. The various
bacteria used in the concrete are Bacillus pasteurii, Bacillue sphaericus, E. coli etc. In
the present study an attempt was made by using the bacteria Bacillus subtilis strain no.
JC3. The main advantage of embedding bacteria in the concrete is that it can constantly
precipitate calcite. This phenomenon is called microbiologically induced calcite
precipitation (MICP). Calcium carbonate precipitation, a widespread phenomenon
among bacteria, has been investigated due to its wide range of scientific and
technological implications. Bacillus subtilis is a laboratory cultured soil bacterium and
its effect on the strength and durability is studied here.
3.3 Methodology of the project
The present work is divided into three phases, they are
Phase I – Developing Culture of bacteria

Phase II – Casting the Cubes & Cylinders using Bacterial Concrete

Phase III – Conducting tests in Laboratory, i.e., Compressive Strength Test of Concrete
Cube & Split Tensile Strength Test and compared with the normal Concrete.
3.31 Phase I – Developing Culture of bacteria
Petri Dishes, Glass Tubes, Conical Flasks are sanitized using the Autoclave machine in
the laboratory. Raw Bacteria Bacillus Subtillus is brought from the market. Bacteria
culture is developed by taking a small amount of the raw bacteria under the UV
radiation zone in the pharmacy laboratory in our institution. Distilled Water and Food
for bacteria is taken with different chemicals mixed with the distilled water.
13
 The chemicals which are used as food nutrient for the development of bacteria culture
is that:

In a 250ml of conical flask, the following are taken:

 Beef extract powder- 1%

 Peptone- 1%

 Sodium chloride- 0.5%

 Agar Agar Powder - 2%

This mixture is stored in a 10ml glass tubes and raw bacteria of 1 ml is inserted into the
glass tubes. These tubes are done again sterilization in the Autoclave machine at a
pressure of 50lb/in2 by keeping the cotton plugs such that no liquid comes out it when
high pressure is applied in the machine.
Then, this liquid is applied on the petri dishes and waited until it becomes a solid (in
the form of a wax). Streaks are drawn on it so that to identify the development of culture
of the bacteria. These petri dishes are placed in the BOD incubator for 48 hours and the
bacteria culture is developed after the removal of the petri dishes from the Incubator.
The developed bacteria can be seen with the naked eye which forms in a white color.

Fig 3.1 shows the Chemicals used as Nutrients for development of bacteria culture

14
 Fig 3.2 shows the adding the chemicals in the conical flask

Fig 3.3 shows the Sterilization of Petri Dishes and Conical Flask
The developed culture is taken with a small amount using stirrer and placed in the required
quantity of water that is used in the bacterial concrete production. A concial flask is taken and
distilled water poured into it and a small number of bacteria is inoculated into the flask. This
flask is again placed in the Autoclave machine for the proper mixture of bacteria into the water.

Fig 3.4 shows the transformation of bacteria into the petri dishes for development of
culture in the presence of ignition in UV Chamber

15
Fig 3.5 shows the transformation of bacteria into the petri dishes for development of
culture in the presence of ignition in UV Chamber

Fig 3.6 shows the UV Chamber

Fig 3.7 shows the Cultured Bacteria in the Petri Dish

16
Phase II – Casting the Cubes & Cylinders using Bacterial Concrete
Nominal M 20 Concrete Mix is taken into consideration and the following are mixed at
different proportions of water with bacteria. Nomenclature is giving according to the
proportions mixed and they are as follows

NCB: Normal concrete Blocks

B2.5: Bacterial Concrete by 2.5% of replacement of water with bacteria solution

B5.0: Bacterial Concrete by 5% of replacement of water with bacteria solution

B10: Bacterial Concrete by 10% of replacement of water with bacteria solution

Fig 3.8 shows mixing and tamping of concrete

Fig 3.9 shows bacterial concrete cubes

17
Fig 3.10 shows bacterial concrete cylinders

Fig 3.11 shows curing of cubes and cylinders

18
Phase III – Conducting tests in Laboratory, i.e., Compressive Strength Test of
Concrete Cube & Split Tensile Strength Test and compared with the Normal
Concrete.

The fallowing different tests are done during this project:

 Compressive strength test

 Split tensile strength test

Testing Procedure of compressive strength:

The testing of compressive strength has been done as per IS: 516-1999. Bacterial Concrete
cubes of 150 * 150 * 150 mm sizes were casted. After the required period of curing the cubes
are removed from the curing tank and tested for compressive strength. As stated earlier, all the
types of bacterial concrete cubes are casted by 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% of replacement of water
with bacteria solution. The compressive strength of the concrete cubes at 7 days, 14 days and
28 days is determined.

Fig 3.12 shows casted cubes and cylinders

The above cubes and cylinders are tested under the compression testing machine

19
 Fig 3.13 shows tests conducted under the guidance of guide

Fig 3.14 shows concrete cubes testing in compression testing machine

20
Testing Procedure of Split Tensile strength:
The testing has been done as per IS: 516-1999. After the required period of curing the cylinders
are removed from the curing tank and tested for split tensile strength at the age of 7 days and
28 days.

Fig 3.15 shows cylinders testing in compression testing machine

The above tests are done with proper attention and record the values. Compare the bacterial
concrete recorded strength values with the normal concrete strength values and plot the graph
between them.

21
 CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Compressive strength test:

The Compressive Strength test is carried out for all the cubes which are casted and cured for
the age of 7, 14 and 28 days. The Compressive Strengths of all the cubes are tabulated as
follows:

Compressive strength in N/mm2

S. NO. Type of concrete
cube 7 days 14 days 28 days
1. NCB 30.42 32.66 35.66
2. B2.5 34.66 31.11 37.77
3. B5.0 31.55 38.66 36.00
4. B7.5 29.33 36.88 33.33
Table 4.1 shows the results of the compressive strength test of concrete cubes

 NCB: Normal concrete blocks

 B2.5: 2.5% bacterial concrete blocks
 B5.0: 5.0% bacterial concrete blocks
 B7.5: 7.5% bacterial concrete blocks

Compressive strength for cube= compressive load/cube area N/mm2

It is observed that a 2.5% replacement of bacterial solution with water in the concrete
production has got better results when compared to the normal concrete. However, it depends
on the type of cracks developed in the cube. These results tell that at a very small percentage
of bacteria, cracks are healed and if the bacteria are added more, no appreciable strength is
identified.

22
Plot the graph between normal concrete and bacterial concrete:

Compressive strength
45

40 38.66 37.7736.88
36.88
34.66 35.66
35 32.66 33.33
30.42 31.55 31.11
29.33
30

25

20

15

10

5
0
0
7 days 14 days 28 days

NCB B2.5 B5.0 B7.5

Split tensile strength test:

The Split Tensile Strength test is carried out for all the cylinders which are casted and cured
for the age of 7 and 28 days. The Compressive Strengths of all the cylinders are tabulated as
follows:

Split tensile strength in N/mm2

S. NO. Type of concrete
cube 7 days 28 days
1. NCB 1.41 2.06
2. B2.5 1.83 2.12
3. B5.0 1.98 1.98
4. B7.5 1.55 1.83
Table 4.2 shows the results of the split tensile strengths of cylinders

 NCB: Normal concrete blocks

 B2.5: 2.5% bacterial concrete blocks
 B5.0: 5.0% bacterial concrete blocks
23
  B7.5: 7.5% bacterial concrete blocks

Split tensile strength for cylinder=2P/πDL

From the above observations, the same B2.5% bacterial concrete is giving the better results
when compared to the B5.0 & B7.5 Bacterial Concrete.

From both the Tests, one can suggest that 5% of bacteria is enough to get the desired strength
for concrete which indirectly tells us that the micro cracks are healed by itself. However, further
the work can be extended for better results so that the materials can be used economically.

Plot the graph between normal concrete and bacterial concrete:

Split tensile strength

2.5

2.06 2.12
1.98 1.98
2 1.83 1.83

1.55
1.5 1.41

0.5

0
7 days 28 days

NCB B2.5 B5.0 B7.5

24
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION
The outcome of this study shows that crack healing of bacterial concrete based on expanded
porous clay particles loaded with bacteria and calcium lactate, i.e., an organic bio-mineral
precursor compound, is much more efficient than of concrete of the same composition however
with empty expanded clay particles. The reason for this can be explained by the strictly
chemical processes in the control and additional biological processes in the bacterial concrete.
Non-hydrated cement particles exposed at the crack surface of concrete will undergo secondary
hydration and in addition in control specimens carbon dioxide present in the bulk water will
react with present calcium hydroxide particles to produce calcium carbonate-based mineral
precipitates. Latter mineral precipitates will particularly form near the crack rim due to the
relatively high solubility of calcium hydroxide. Here it is hypothesized that calcium hydroxide
particles present at the surface of the crack interior will first scavenge all available carbon
dioxide from crack ingress water, where after remaining calcium hydroxide will dissolve and
diffuse out of the crack into the bulk water. Once in the bulk water it will react with carbon
dioxide present in close approximation to the crack rim resulting in the chemical production
and precipitation of larger quantities of much lower soluble calcium carbonate.

The following conclusions are observed this project work:

1. With a very small number of raw bacteria, culture of bacteria can be developed which
can be used for the concrete production that requires a skilled worker at site.
2. At 2.5% of bacteria the results are appreciable, further the work can be extended for
0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% & 2.0% of bacteria.
3. The durability characteristics can be studied further using the percentage of bacteria
used.

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REFERENCES:
1. Pappupreethi K, RajishaVelluva Ammakunnoth, Bacterial Concrete Review,
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 8, Issue
2, February 2017.
2. Abhishek Thakur, Akshay Phogat, Khushpreet, Bacterial Concrete and Effect of
Different Bacteria on the Strength and Water Absorption Characteristics of Concrete,
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 7, Issue
5, October 2016.
3. Abhishek Pandit, Sahila Shaikh, Pranjali Mangalwedhekar, Sakshi Jagtap,
Swapnil Gorade, A Review Paper on Bacterial Concrete, International Journal of
Innovative and Emerging Research in Engineering (IJRES) Volume 5, Issue 5 in 2018.
4. Elzbieta Stanaszek-Toma, Bacterial Concrete as a Sustainable Building Material,
MDPI, Issue in 17 January 2020
5. Katie Molyneux, Bacterial Concrete as a Sustainable Building Material with
advantageous properties, Youth Stem Matters, Issue in 2021.
6. Laganzo, Magil A., Noriesta, Carla pamela D., Montecalvo, Marlou A., Roselle P.,
Exploratory Research using Bacteria as a Self-Healing concrete, International Journal
of Resent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) Volume 8, Issue-1S4, June 2019.
7. Salmabanu luhar, Suthar gourav, A Review Paper on Self-Healing concrete, Journal
of Civil Engineering Research in 2015.

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