Study on reducing water absorption of recycled aggregates (RAs) by microbial mineralization

Abstract

Crushing waste concrete and using it directly as RAs has the disadvantages of high porosity and high water absorption. To achieve the reuse of resources, the researchers use microbial mineralization methods to further reinforce RAs. In this paper, the effect of the microbial carbonic anhydrase mineralization method on the water absorption of RAs was investigated, and the macroscopic analysis was performed by determining the indexes of water absorption and apparent density of RAs before and after the modification, and the microscopic analysis of RAs by using the methods of SEM, XRD, DSC, and EDS as well. According to the microscopic analysis, the mineralization products of microorganisms are calcium carbonate crystals, and with the increase in microbial liquid concentration, the water absorption rate of RAs shows a trend of decreasing and then increasing, and it can be found through the microscopic morphology that abundant mineralization products attached to the surface of the aggregate lead to the surface of the aggregate becoming rougher and more porous. The method of soaking the RAs in 3% bacterial solution and 0.1 mol/L calcium acetate solution followed by carbonation with 20% CO2 resulted in a 4.85% reduction in water absorption.