Sustainable concrete construction by microorganism and monitoring using EMI technique: A review

Construction of concrete infrastructures is developing worldwide from the ancient period therefore; sustainable concrete is required for clean environment reason. The formation of cracks/fissures creates problems to the concrete which reduces durability of concrete structures. These cracks/fissures in concrete originate due to the natural forces viz., weathering and landslide, seismic, flooding and human interventions which affect the service life of structures. The application of microorganisms in concrete is the innovative technology for sustainable construction and self-healing of cracks. These microorganisms' bacterium produces calcium carbonate in presence of moisture and carbon dioxide. The use of bacteria in concrete consumes carbon dioxide available in the atmosphere and produces solid substances like calcium carbonate for self-healing of the cracks and develop sustainable infrastructure. Electro-Mechanical Impedance (EMI) technique is based on smart materials and used for monitoring of crack/fissures present in structures. The impedance and admittance signatures can be used for determination of the presence of damage. Admittance signature consists of conductance (real part) and susceptance (imaginary part) signature, respectively. The changes in the signature from the healthy state baseline signature indicate presence of damage in structures. The research review article is focused on microbial-based concrete and its importance related to the clean environment and sustainable construction development. Furthermore, the types of bacteria used in concrete and its optimal concentration have been covered. Moreover, the EMI technique and its application on concrete industry for monitoring the health of structures have been taken into consideration. The use of EMI technique to monitor the performance of bacterial concrete will be helpful for sustainable buildings. The review article will suggest new research directions in the field of sustainable construction industry. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.