Abstract
Recently, microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP) has been considered a novel method in corrosion prevention of reinforced concrete (RC) at the lab scale. In this investigation, silica fume (SF) based inoculum for the construction industry was developed and possessed a shelf life of 180 days with an effective cell count required to induce MICCP in RC structures. The SF-based inoculum was immobilized in fresh concrete to study the corrosion mitigation potential. The RC specimens were cured for 28 days and subjected to impressed current-induced chloride corrosion. Electrochemical and electromechanical impedance (EMI) techniques were employed separately on RC specimens for corrosion assessment. The results prove that the SF-based carrier can be effectively used for corrosion prevention and that the emerging EMI technique can efficiently monitor the corrosion process.
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to NBCC (India) Limited under the research project No. NBCC/CGM(R&D)/LOI/2017/157 and Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division, Department of Science & Technology, India, research project No. SEED/TIASN/022/2016(G).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.