Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf.

Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015

Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

Bioconcrete Strength, Durability, Permeability,

Recycling and Effects on Human Health: A
Review
Mohanadoss Ponraj, Amirreza Talaiekhozani, Rosli Mohamad Zin, Mohammad Ismail, Muhd Zaimi Abd Majid*,
Ali Keyvanfar, Hesam Kamyab

Abstract—Concrete has become as one of the common

material in the construction sector, which makes it of great I. Introduction
interest to the researchers in pursuit for the production of
concrete with better properties. This is mainly because the Cement is among one of the most commonly used
existing concrete has several limitations in terms of strength, materials for the construction of buildings worldwide and the
ductility, durability and resistance to cracking. To overcome this demand for cement is increasing every year [1]. Therefore, a
problem with the use of bioconcrete, it can self-heal and also huge amount of concrete has been produced yearly to meet
posses other value added features like high durability, increased this demand. The production of concrete requires
strength and less water absorption capacity. Even though several
studies to date have been focused on the development of The development of self-healing concrete technology has
bioconcrete but the aspects of advantage and disadvantages become one of the most important researcher's objectives in
using bioconcrete has not been discussed so far. The objective of the field of civil engineering sciences and biotechnology in
this study is to review the positive and negative impacts of recent years [2-7]. In 1980s, only a few articles related to self-
bioconcrete application in the aspect of strength, durability, healing concrete can be found, and it wasn’t until the late
permeability, recycling and its effects on human health. A
1990's that some serious studies related to this area were
systematic review has been used to review some of the relevant
established. The use of biological methods is the latest self-
and recently published works in this area. The diverse
advantages has been mainly covered like; increasing the
healing design methods.
concrete durability, increasing the concrete strength, increasing The genus Bacillus has been mostly used for the
of concrete permeability, and ability of biological concrete for biological development of calcium carbonate-based minerals
recycling. The effect of biological concrete on human health as as, which is considered to be as ureolytic bacteria. The
one of the main disadvantages using bioconcrete has also been formation of calcium carbonate using this type of bacteria is
covered. The findings of this paper can be considered significant because of the hydrolysis of urea to carbon dioxide and
for the stakeholders in the construction sector, as well as the
ammonia. Although using microorganisms in concrete can
engineers in gaining insight towards the potential use of
usually increase its strength, durability and permeability, it
biological concrete in the field of construction, considering both
the merits and demerits of using biological concrete. As a may cause some negative impacts which have not been
conclusion, the research paper highlights several advantages and extensively studied such as the negative impact on
disadvantages of bioconcrete that helps to predict the future psychological and physical condition of humanity. Therefore,
commercial application of bioconcrete in the construction the main challenge of this review paper is to find and
industry. compare the negative and positive impacts of biological
concrete development in future. The main principle of this
Keywords—Biological concrete, Durability, Health hazard, study is to review the possibilities of having the positive and
Sustainability negative impacts of bioconcrete application in the aspects of
strength, durability, permeability, recycling and its effect on
human health. This study can help researchers to conduct new
research to find a solution for decreasing of negative impacts
(Mohanadoss Ponraj, Rosli
Mohamad Zin, Mohammad Ismail,
and increasing positive impacts of biological concrete to
Muhd Zaimi Abd Majid*, Ali Keyvanfar, Hesam Kamyab make it more trustworthy.
Construction Research Center (CRC), Institute for Smart Infrastructure and
Innovation Construction (ISIIC), Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti
Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor Bahru,
Malaysia
II. Positive impacts of biological
*Corresponding Author concrete development
A. Increasing the concrete durability
(Amirreza Talaiekhozani) Andalib et al., (2015) conducted a study for the
Department of Civil Engineering, Jami Institute of Technology, Isfahan, assessment of durability improvement in several high strength
Iran bacterial structural concrete grades by using different type of

1
 Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf. Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015
Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

acid [8]. The experimental results of Andalib et al., (2015) B. Increasing the concrete strength
showed that biological concrete when compared to the
ordinary Portland cement without microorganism has lost less The use of aerobic microorganisms (Pseudomonas
weight and strength. It was also found that maximum weight aeruginosa and Bacillus pasteurii), as self-healing agents
loss and compressive strength occurred during the sulphuric have shown 18% improvement in the compressive strength of
acid immersion as compared to hydrochloric acid immersion. cement mortar [12-13]. Jonkers (2007) in his study has
It was noticeable that lesser amount of chloride and sulphur investigated the use of bacteria for the healing of cracks
were found in the bacterial concrete immersed in sulphuric occurring in the concrete as self-healing agent [14].
acid and hydrochloric acid in comparison to Portland cement DeMuynck et al. (2008) have shown that durability of
concrete because of the calcite deposition. The results of this cementitious materials can be improved along with the
study clearly show that using suitable bacteria in concrete can deposition of carbonate by Bacillus sphaericus as surface
increase its durability and resistance even in the presence of treatment [15, 11]. Ramachandran et al. (2001) reported the
strong acids such as sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid [8]. use of bacteria for enhancing the durability of concrete as to
show resistance towards the alkali, freeze-thaw attack,
Jacobsen and Sellevold (1996) in their study determined sulfate, drying and shrinkage [12]. Achal et al., (2011)
the self-healing of high strength concrete after its investigated the effects of Bacillus sp. CT-5 isolated from
deterioration by thaw/freeze [9]. It was found that concrete cement for determining the water-absorption test and
which has lost 50% of its initial relative dynamic module compressive strength. The result showed that the compressive
during thaw/freeze and storage in water could recover strength of cement mortar increased to 36 % with the addition
completely, only with a slight variation in the degree of of microbes and the treated cubes were found to absorb water
deterioration and concrete composition. The reduction rate of six times lesser when compared to the control cubes due to
22–29% was due to deterioration, whereas the noticeable the deposition of microbial calcite. This indicates that by
recovery rate of self-healing was found to be 4–5%. The test using Bacillus sp. For the production of “microbial concrete”
of thaw/freeze carried out on deteriorated and self-healed it can enhance the durability of construction materials [16].
specimens contained in a partly sealed condition showed that
the deterioration rate was due to the ability of water uptake Ghosh et al. (2005) described a method for improving the
that leaked through plastic foil during the process which strength of cement–sand mortar with microbial induced
contributed to the increasing of deterioration. Self-healing is mineral precipitation [17]. The increase in the compressive
considered to be the important factor providing concrete strength of cement mortar (25 %) at 28th day was observed
better frost durability in the field when compared to the with the addition of thermophilic and anaerobic bacteria, in
specimens that are subjected to thaw/freeze cycles in presence the range of 105 cells/ml to the mixing water. The strength
of water [9]. Wiktor and Jonkers (2011) during their study improvement was due to the growth of filler material within
determined the potential of crack-healing using a novel self- the pores of cement–sand matrix. Ghosh et al. (2005) used the
healing agent that is being embedded in a porous clay particle bacteria E. coli in cement mortar to enable a better
that acted as reservoir which can replace the minor portion of comparison, but from the improvement in strength that was
regular concrete aggregate [10]. The self-healing agent actually observed [17] it is clearly evident that mostly in the
consisting of bacterial spores and calcium lactate were internal cracks, not much oxygen exists. As a result only the
released through the crack ingress water, whenever crack use of anaerobic microorganisms can solve this problem.
formation occurred. The bacterial induced formation of Bacillus megaterium which produces calcite can
calcium carbonate helped in sealing of the micro cracks up to improve the properties of ash brick (Rice hush and Fly ash
0.46 mm-wide. Therefore, it was concluded this novel bio- bricks) as investigated by Dhamia et al. (2012). A significant
chemical self-healing agent has a true potential towards reduction in water absorption was noticed in the treated bricks
increasing the durability of concrete structures existing in the along with the increasing compressive strength due to the
wet environment [10]. deposition of calcite on the voids and surface of bricks. The
Muyncka et al. (2008) in their study on determining the extracellular deposition of calcite crystals on the surface
effects of bacterial carbonate precipitation for the durability of bricks are due to the microbial activity as seen from the
of mortar specimens with different porosity decreased the scanning electron micrographs. These findings show that this
water absorption rate was found to be decreased from 65% to technology has a better potential towards the development of
90% due to the deposition of calcium carbonate on surface. In eco-friendly and durable building blocks [18].
consequence the rate of chloride migration and carbonation The effects on compressive strength are reported to be
decreased up to 10–40% and 25–30% along with the between 10 to 30 % when different types of bacteria are used
increased résistance shown towards thawing and freezing and by researchers as shown in Table I.
thawing. The results obtained were similar to conventional
surface treatments [11].

TABLE I. EFFECT OF DIFFERENT BACTERIA DETERMINING THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND WATER ABSORPTION OF
CONCRETE
Bacteria species Compressive strength Water absorption References

2
 Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf. Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015
Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

at 28 days (%)
Bacillus pasteurii 2.67 50 – 70% less than normal concrete [19,20, 21]
Sporosarcina pasteurii 18 85% less than normal concrete [16, 20, 22,23, 24]
Shewanella sp. 25-30 - [16, 20, 25, 26]
Bacillus sphaericus 36 It can decrease water absorption [15, 16]
Bacillus pseudofirmus -10 - [27]
Comarca Laguna 21.92 - [28]
Escherichia coli 22-26 - [17, 29]
Marine bacterium 15 - [30]
Sporosarcina coli 3.8 - [20]
Arthrobacter crystallopoietes 8.9 - [20]
Lynsinibacillus fasiformis 4.5 - [20]
Bacillus subtilis 15 - [20, 24, 31]
Bacillus megaterium 24.2 46% less than normal concrete [18]
Pseudomonas aeruginosa <2 - [32]
Bacillus mycoides 17 - [33]
Bacillus cereus - 83% less than normal concrete [32]
Bacillus sphaericus - 50% less than normal concrete [32]
Pseudomonas putida - 1% less than normal concrete [32]

application of this method resulted in a limited

C. Increasing of concrete change of capillary water uptake by the Portland
stone. The bacteria isolated from stream in Somerset
permeability (UK) and from culture collection was screened for its
The common phenomenon observed in concrete ability to deposit calcite in a modified liquid and
structure is the formation of crack. The resulting solid B4 medium as a measure of biodeposition,
micro crack formation hardly affects the structural among which Pseudomonas putida was selected for
properties of construction but in due course it may further study, which had a low risk to human health
reduce the durability of concrete structure and may in addition to its ability to precipitate calcite at a wide
pose a threat due to the risk of ingress of aggressive range of temperature [42]. It was found that bacteria
substances particularly in a wet environment. when applied to stone by brushing and covered with
Specific healing agents can be incorporated in the moistened Japanese paper along with 1–1.5 cm thick
concrete matrix in order to increase the often layer of Carbogel prepared with modified B4,
observed autonomous crack-healing potential of resulted in decreasing of water absorption and open
concrete. Bacillus sphaericus are used for designing porosity about 1% to 5%. Therefore, water absorption
biological self-healing concrete according to the is one of the important parameters to be considered
findings of Tittelboom et al. (2010). It is reported that during the investigation of permeability.
pure bacterial cultures alone are not able to bridge the
cracks but when they are present in silica gel, the
cracks become fully cured [34]. The increase in
permeability after treating the specimens with D. Ability of biological concrete for
Bacillus sphaericus is due to the filling of recycling
unavoidable of air bubbles present in the specimen.
Waste concrete aggregates (WCA) are used to
The removal of organic matter, nitrate and prevent erosion as a ground-filling material and
sulphate on the surface of artworks have been protective barrier. However, for using it in large-scale
investigated using microbes [35, 36]. Heselmeyer et projects like making runways and rebuilding roads,
al. (1991) studied the removal of gypsum crusts from the expenditure required for the removal of debris
marble using Desulfovibrio vulgaris [37], further the can be reduced with the use of WCA. In addition by
procedure was optimized by Ranalli et al. (1997) establishing the center for using WCA located nearer
using a carrier material known as sepiolite for to the site of aforementioned project, the expenditure
Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and D. vulgaris [38]. involved in the production can be substantially
Cappitelli et al. (2006) carried out further reduced [43, 44]. Topcu and Sengel (2004) studied
improvements using Carbogel as delivery system for the freeze–thaw durability of concrete made from
bacteria, which allowed the retention of more viable WCAs [45]. During the conduction of experiment
bacteria and also decreased the time needed for the with the hardened and fresh concrete possessing
entrapment of microorganisms when compared to recycled concrete aggregates (30%, 50%, 70%,
sepiolite [39, 40]. Cappitelli et al. (2006, 2007) being 100%) under freeze–thaw cycles show that C16-
the members of Biobrush consortium, it allowed the quality concrete can be made requiring less than 30%
use of Carbogel in the field of biodeposition [39- 41], of C14-quality WCA. Interestingly it was found that
as these delivery systems were used to control the weight, workability and durability of concrete made
harmful side effects of bacteria on stone. The

3
 Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf. Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015
Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

out of WCA was found to decrease in inverse It is reported that by using 14% to 28% of fly ash the
proportion according to the thaw-freeze cycles [45]. compressive strength of recycled concrete
approaching the 28th day decreased from 38.85 to
Different methods of producing WCAs to be used 35.5 MPa resulting in a 9% reduction and for the
as concrete aggregates include crushing and grinding natural concrete it decreased from 38.08 to 34.14
and the expert opinion of those working in this area is MPa with a reduction of 11 % [15]. It was observed
that WCAs can be used in the form of proper that the flexural strength of concrete produced from
aggregates [46]. When compared to normal concrete, WCAs is directly proportional to the w/c ratio [53]. It
WCAs posses more percentage of water absorption was shown that depending on the type of mixture and
ratio, including higher percentage of crushing value curing period, the increase in the quantity of WCA
and Los Angeles abrasion, but lower specific gravity. will result in the decreasing of the durability of
The percentage of mortar used in WCA obtained concrete that is made out of WCA [54] and there was
from crushed concrete of destroyed structures were a slight decrease in the fresh unit weight of concrete
determined using a linear traverse method. As a [55]. A similar type of result was obtained by Sagoe-
conclusion WCA containing mortar (40%) would Crentsil et al. (2001) [56] in terms of reduced fresh
certainly affect the properties of WCAs like creep,
unit weight value as that of Hansen and Narud [57]. It
shrinkage and elasticity [47]. In order to increase the was reported that the durability of concrete made out
efficiency of WCAs in concrete, more amount of of WCAs is lower than normal concrete and it is also
water has to be added [48]. However, it is inevitable, noted that along with the addition of WCAs into the
based on the proportion of added water, not only the new concrete, its durability was found to decrease
ration of cement will increase but at the same time it identically.
will be desirable to obtain finer aggregate particles
for having a proper workability [49-50]. It was
pointed out by Ravindrarajah and Tam (1985) have III. Negative impacts of
reported the existence of similarity between the
workability of normal concrete and the concrete
biological concrete
made out of WCA [51]. It was also found that newly development
produced concrete consisted of higher fresh unit
weight, because of the presence of mortar with low The advantages and disadvantages as reviewed in
density in the wasted concrete. It was also noticed this study are summarized in Table II. Also, the
that the mechanical properties of concrete with negative impacts on the physical and psychological
WCAs are lower, when compared to normal concrete condition of humans are being considered. In this
aggregate. The flexural strength of concrete with paper, the pros and cons of bacterial concrete are
WCAs was found to be F15%, when compared to shown in order to make it easier for the reader to
normal concrete. It is also reported that the freeze– make a decision whether or not to use bio-concrete
thaw cycles of concrete made up of WCAs in the since it consists of microorganisms. However, in a
presence of air content are less durable [52]. It was general point of view, bacterial concrete can provide
also found that thaw-freeze durability of concrete a more positive effect when compared to the negative
produced from fine materials of WCAs are higher ones.
when compared to concrete made up of normal sand. .

TABLE II. COMPARISON OF THE MERITS AND DEMERITS OF USING BIOLOGICAL CONCRETE
Advantages References Disadvantages References
Significant increase in terms of Cost of bacterial concrete is 7 to 28% more than
compressive strength and concrete the conventional one; however, it can help to
[28, 30, 58, 59, 60, 61,
stiffness with effect of the reduce the cost of repairing afterwards, which [28, 59, 63, 64, 65]
62].
bacterial concrete for the normally cause more than installing the bacterial
remediation of crack concrete.
Bacteria growing in concrete are not good for the
Good resistance is shown towards
human health and atmosphere. Its usage needs to
the freeze and thaw attack due to [27, 41] [59, 67, 68]
be limited to the structure does not involve near
the bacterial chemical process.
to human life, such as houses or apartments.
The higher amount of carbonation
There are no standard designs in practice for the
in bacterial concrete can help
bacterial concrete design mix to obtain the
decrease the porosity and
optimum performance. The suitable amount of
permeability which are due to [30, 61, 63, 64, 65] [1, 59, 67]
bacteria and its type is always changing
surface treatment resulting in
depending on the applications.
increased resistance towards
carbonation and chloride attack.
The effect of bacterial usage in The methods to investigate involving the studies [30, 59, 63, 64, 67,
[59, 64, 66, 70, 71]
concrete can reduce the process of related to calcite precipitation are always costly 69].

4
 Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf. Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015
Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

reinforcement bar corrosion, because it involves techniques like Scanning

whereby the formation of calcite Electron Microscopy (SEM) which is costly and
assists in terms of sealing the path requires a skilled personnel to run the tests.
of ingress at the same time
providing longer lifespan to the
bar

The reporting frequency obtained for the bioconcrete using bioconcrete

reviewed articles pertaining to the advantages and A1 A2 A3 A4 D1 D2 D3
disadvantages of using bioconcrete is shown in Table 58 √
30 √ √ √
III, whereas Table IV. shows the advantages and 60 √
disadvantages mediated with the direct addition of 28 √
bacteria or its spore into the bioconcrete. 61 √ √
62 √
A. Effect of biological concrete on 41
27
√
√
human health 63 √ √ √ √
1) Negative impact on the 64 √ √ √
√
psychological condition of humans 65
59 √ √ √ √ √
Our survey shows that there is little information 66 √
about the tendency of people to stay in a house or 70 √
office made up of biological concrete which has self- 71 √
healing property. The only study in this area is in 65 √ √
related to the study carried out by Talaiekhozani and 28 √ √
Ponraj (2015). They have provided a questionnaire 67 √ √
and it was distributed among the students and 69 √
lecturers of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia as to 68 √ √
understand the viewpoint of people in terms of RF 7 2 5 5 8 6 3
√ refers to the aspect of advantage or disadvantage
staying in a house or office made of biological RF: Reporting frequency
concrete. Analysis of the filled questionnaire showed A1: Compressive strength improvement
that 81% of people would like to stay in a house or A2: Resistance against freeze and thaw
office made up biological concrete and 19% would A3: Permeability improvement
not. A4: Reducing of corrosion
D1: High cost of biological concrete
TABLE III. REPORTING FREQUENCY OF REVIEWED D2: Negative effect on human health
ARTICLES PERTAINING TO THE ADVANTAGES AND D3: Lack of standard method for preparation of
DISADVANTAGES OF USING BIO-CONCRETE biological concrete
Ref. Advantages of using Disadvantages of

TABLE VI. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DIRECT ADDITION OF MICROORGANISMS OR ITS SPORE TO
BIOLOGICAL CONCRETE
Methods Disadvantages Advantages References
Addition of encapsulated (1) Expensive method (2) complex (1) High life time of [1]
microorganisms or its spore directly procedure to prepare encapsulated microorganisms or their spores (2)
to the concrete microorganisms (3) cannot heal the crack Less effect on durability (3)
that is propagated frequently at the same strength and permeability (4) high
place biological concrete workability
Addition of attached microorganisms (1) Decreasing of concrete strength (2) (1) Inexpensive (2) not complex [1, 72]
or their spores to the activated durability and permeability (3) Lesser (3) higher biological concrete
carbon or silica gel protection for the microorganisms or their workability (4) partially can heal a
spores crack that is frequently occurring
at the same place
Circulation of microorganisms in the (1) Very complex (2) Very expensive (3) (1) Able to repair a crack [1, 58]
micro vessels throughout the Low biological concrete workability (4) occurring at the same place (2)
concrete No information about its effect on concrete Highly durable (3) can heal a
strength. crack that is frequently occurring
in the same place
Addition of microorganisms or their (1) Complete information about its effects (1) Higher lifetime of [1, 58, 72]
spores into the hollow pipettes on concrete strength is not available (2) microorganisms or their spores (2)
expensive (3) complex (4) cannot heal a high biological concrete

5
 Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf. Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015
Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

crack that is occurring frequently at the workability

same place
Addition of microorganisms or their (1) Presence of low microorganisms or (1) Not effective on strength (2) [1]
spores directly to the concrete reduces the lifetime of spores (2) cannot not expensive (3) Noncomplex (4)
heal a crack that is propagated frequently high biological concrete
at the same place workability

However, 38% of participants in this part of the participants in this study were expert in biological
study believe that staying in a house or office made concrete technology and 75% had no information
of biological concrete can cause illness. about that.
Approximately 76% of people would like to
recommend others to stay in this kind of house or 2) Negative impact on physical health
office and 24% would not. Opposition against the Many of the applied bacteria in designing of self-
recommendation of biological concrete to others can healing concrete are important in medical sciences;
be due to lack of clear information about safety issues therefore, having knowledge about them is very
of using biological concrete. The life time of humans important. In some bacteria the release of ureases
is shorter than concrete structures. Therefore, people play an important role in the determination of
hesitate to pay more money for using biological pathogenesis of human and animals in causing
concrete in their office or house. Although biological diseases like the Proteus mirabilis. Bacillus pasteurii
concrete is not of significant importance to people, it is an ureolytic, non-pathogenic bacteria which is
can be very important for those who are thinking widely being used for designing biological concrete
about huge construction projects such as dams, [59]. As this microorganism is harmless to humans, it
bridges, tunnels, etc. As children are more sensitive can be the best choice for designing biological
than adults 67% of participants in this study believe concrete. In Table V. all the types of bacteria that are
that biological concrete in houses will affect their involved in designing biological concrete and the
children's health. It should be noted that 25% of related illnesses that can be produced are mentioned.
TABLE V. TYPES OF BACTERIA INVOLVED IN THE DESIGNING OF BIOLOGICAL CONCRETE AND ITS RELATED DISEASE TO
HUMANS
Aerobic or anaerobic
Application of bacteria in biological concrete Disease caused by the bacteria References
organism
Sporosarcina pasteurii (or Bacillus pasteurii) non-pathogenic Aerobic [73]
It can affect the immuno
Leuconostoc mesenteroides Anaerobic [60]
compromised patients
Respiratory tract infection and
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Aerobic [61]
nervous illness
Aerobic and Facultative
Shewanella species Gastro intestinal infections [62]
Anaerobic
It can infect the damaged tissues or
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Aerobic [63]
those with reduced immunity
Escherichia coli Urinary tract infections Aerobic [64]
It can cause a wide range of diseases,
Acinetobacter species ranging from pneumonia to blood or Aerobic [65]
wound infections.
Bacillus lentus Non-pathogenic Aerobic [66]
Bacillus sphaericus Non-pathogenic Aerobic [70]
Deleyahalophila Bactremia in daialysis patient Anaerobic [71]
Myxococcus xanthus Non-pathogenic Aerobic [67]
It is not generally associated with
infection, although immuno-
Bacillus megaterium Aerobic [74]
suppressed persons are easily
susceptible to any type of infection
Causes wound and urinary tract
Proteus vulgaris Facultative anaerobic [58]
infections
Urinary tract infections and the
Proteus mirabilis Facultative anaerobic [58, 64]
formation of stones.

cement in the near future and will decrease the

manpower requirement or job opportunities related to
B. Other disadvantages cement industries. On the other hand, using
As it is predicted that the lifespan of biological biological cement can create new job opportunities
concrete is longer than conventional concrete [1, 58, for experts in this area. Unfortunately, until now
72], it may cause a decrease in the demand for there have been no related articles which are

6
 Proc. of the Third Intl. Conf. Advances in Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering- CSM 2015
Copyright © Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63248-062-0 doi: 10.15224/ 978-1-63248-062-0-28

concerned with this subject, or articles which [2] A. C. Balazs,“Modeling self-healing materials,” Mater.
highlight these issues and this creates a gap for new Today., 10, 18–23, 2007.
[3] S. Vander-Zwaag (Ed.),Self Healing Materials–an
researchers working in this field to explore. Alternative Approach to 20 Centuries of Materials
Science. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2007.
As biological concrete is relatively a much [4] R. P. Wool, “Self-healing, Materials: a review,” Soft
younger field of study there is no conclusive idea Matter., 4, 400–418, 2008.
related to the lifetime of biological concrete. Based [5] M. Nosonovsky, B. Bhushan,Multiscale Dissipative
on the opinion of many researchers, lifetime of Mechanisms and Hierarchical Surfaces: Friction, Super
biological concrete for actual use should be longer hydrophobicity and Biomimetics. Springer-Verlag,
Heidelberg, Germany, 2008.
than conventional concrete [1, 58,72]. Based on the [6] M. Nosonovsky, B. Bhushan,“Thermodynamics of
case study report, the cost of concrete (80 €/m3) with surface degradation, self-organization, and self-healing
self-healing property would increase by up to 7–28%, for biomimetic surfaces,” Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A., 367,
depending on the type and amount of healing agents 1607–1627, 2009.
that are being added to the concrete. However, in the [7] Koch K., Bhushan B., Ensikat H. J., Barthlott W.,“Self-
healing of voids in the wax coating on plant surfaces,”
cost required for the later repair works and Phil. Transact. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 367, 1673-1688,
maintenance can be largely reduced [75]. 2009.
[8] R. Andalib, M. Z. Majid, A. Keyvanfar, A.
IV. Conclusion Talaiekhozan,“Durability improvement assessment in
different high strength bacterial structural concrete grades
against different types of acids,” Sadhana,1-14, 2015.
Currently, biological methods have gained the [9] S. Jacobsen, E. J. Sellevold,“Self-healing of high strength
attention of most researchers in designing self- concrete after deterioration by freeze/thaw,” J.
healing concrete. It is found that the use of biological CementConcrete Res., 26:55–62, 1996.
methods to design self-healing concrete can have a [10] V. Wiktor, H. M. Jonkers, (2011).“Quantification of
positive effect on the durability, strengthening and crack-healing in novel bacteria-based self-healing
concrete,” Cement and Concrete Composites. 33(7), 763–
permeability of concrete. Some of the bacterial 770, 2011.
strains that are used in developing self-healing [11] De MuynckW., DebrouwerD., De BelieN., VerstraeteW.,
concrete such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa are “Bacterial carbonate precipitation improves the durability
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