Potential of fungi for concrete repair

Abstract

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world being cement one of its main components. Cement production accounts for 5-8% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the world's infrastructures are produced from reinforced concrete and cracking is one of the major drawbacks for its durability. The cracks in concrete reduce their resistance capacity and allow the entry of harmful agents both for their microstructure and for the reinforcements located inside the structure. Sustainable solutions aimed at reducing costs and environmental impacts for this problem have been researched. The bioscience of precipitation mechanisms with microbiologically induced calcium carbonate (MICCP) is an alternative to traditionally used methods and a way to mitigate the environmental impact of using more cement and polymers. Most of the biocementation studies present bacteria as microorganisms responsible for the CaCO3 induction process. Fungi are potentially better for the biocementation process because they have more biomass and are filaments, which may aid in the mechanical behaviour of the formed bioconcrete. Thus, the present work proposes the development of a methodology to analyse the potential use of fungi present in concrete structures as biorepair agents.