Durability based service life prediction of bacterial concrete

Concrete durability is one the essential factors effecting the service life of structures. The problem in durability of structures not only gives great impact on the functionality of the structures themselves but also on their environment. The maintenance and repair process resulting from the problems will consume a lot of energy and resources. The use of bacteria as an effort for repairing concrete cracks becomes popular recently. Crack formation is a common problem in many concrete structures. Durability problems may rise due to these cracks usually reducing concrete integrity and permeability. There are many degradation mechanisms affecting concrete performance, two of them are carbonation and chloride ingress. Several researches prove increased resistance towards those two mechanisms. This paper is aimed to simulate service life of bacterial concrete based on carbonation and chloride ingress mechanisms incorporating carbonation rate constants and chloride migration coefficients. It is concluded that the utilization of bacteria in concrete is prospective in increasing the durability of concrete structures.