About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Next Generation Biomaterials
|
| Presentation Title |
Innovative Crack Repair in Aged Concrete Using Bio-Fibers and Dual-Enzyme Approaches |
| Author(s) |
Fadime Kara Murdoch, Rachel Krebs, Cheryl Immethun, Colin Hinton, Brad Heater, Carl Jacobson, Heather Luckarift |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Fadime Kara Murdoch |
| Abstract Scope |
Current repairs for concrete require surface application with limited percolation depth into cracks. Biological approaches have been investigated but require the biological component to be embedded into the cement at the time of manufacture and is not suitable for application to existing aged infrastructure. In this study, we used bacterial cellulose (BC) and silk fibroin (SF) bio-fibers to create a vascular scaffold structure in the crack to fill voids and support carbonic anhydrase (CA) and urease dual-enzyme system that catalyzes mineral formation for crack repair. The results demonstrated that BC and SF fibers filled the crack void, increased mechanical strength, and adhered the cracked concrete surfaces together. The dual enzyme system produces calcite that continues to fill and repair the crack over time. Overall, biofibers and dual enzyme systems have significantly improved the strength and facilitate further repair over time. |