A RESEARCH FOR BACTERIAL SELF-HEALING IN METAKAOLIN BASED GEOPOLYMER MORTARS

Abstract

Cement production is a polluting process for nature. For this reason, new types of concrete which can be produced with recycled materials and without cement continue to be investigated. On the other hand; cracks in structural elements reduce the strength and durability of a building. Extending service life of buildings has eliminated the cost of rebuilding and thus, contributed to both the economy and the ecosystem. Due to this, research on crack healing in Portland cement concretes with various bacteria is continuing for some time. However, there are not enough studies in literature regarding the improvement of metakaolin-based geopolymer mortars produced without using cement by urolytic bacteria. The parameters of temperature, pH and void ratio of bacterial geopolymer mortar affect the viability of bacteria. For example, pH value of the medium required for the survival of bacteria is, generally around nine. During the production of geopolymer concrete, a sudden increase in high alkali environment occurs due to use of activators. This reduces the survival rate of bacteria added to the mixture during the production of geopolymer mortar. In this study, the most suitable environment for geopolymer mortar, and the conditions for the bacteria to survive until the end of the curing process for the mortar to be strengthened were investigated. Analyses on the effects of urolytic bacteria and geopolymer mortar healing process on mechanical strength of the mortar were conducted. Sporosarcina Pasteurii were used for the self healing process. Various mixtures of geopolymer mortars were cured under different environmental conditions to observe changes in their mechanical strength and water absorption capacity. As the result of the study, the most suitable mixture ratio and curing medium were identified. It was observed that the nutrient, ensuring the life cycle of the urolytic bacteria, had no negative effect on the mechanical strength of mortar and reduced capillary water absorption of the mortar. This study is a specific text in the literature that analyzes bacterial curing conditions and the effect of improving geopolymer mortar.