Evaluation of Portland and Pozzolanic cement on the self-healing of mortars with calcium lactate and bacteria

Abstract

This article studies the effect of Portland and Pozzolanic cement on the crack-healing of mortars prepared with Bacillus pseudofirmus bacteria and calcium lactate as a nutrient. Mixtures were prepared with the same content of cement, water, sand, and Light Weight Aggregate. Results showed an inverse relationship between crack width and self-healed area, with most of the healing occurring between 0 and 21 days of sample conditioning. The healing on samples with calcium lactate only and calcium lactate + bacteria was significantly higher than in control samples. Results indicate that Portland cement better promotes the self-healing of cracks compared to Pozzolanic cement.