SELF-HEALING BACTERIAL CONCRETE BY REPLACING FINE AGGREGATE WITH RICE HUSK

Concrete with porous nature will affect the strength and durability. In order to enhance strength and durability, pores should be filled with bonding and inert material. An advanced technique for filling the pores in concrete is by utilizing bacteria, i.e. microbiologically induced calcite (CaCo3 ) precipitation. Microbiologically Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is a technique that comes under a broader category of science called biomineralization. MICP is highly desirable because the calcite precipitation induced as a result of microbial activities, is pollution free and natural. Here Bacillus cohnii is used for calcite (CaCo3 ) precipitation. To support the growth of bacteria, fine aggregate is replaced with rice husk. As a result, the density of concrete was reduced and an increase in strength and durability was observed. The experimental details, results are presented in this article