Use of Bacteria to Activate Ground-Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBFS) as Cementless Binder

Abstract

Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) can be used as a cementless binder after activation. Recent approaches to activate GGBFS have focused on chemical methods that use NaOH, KOH, and CaO. This study introduces the use of bacteria to activate GGBFS as a biological approach. The presence of bacteria (volumetric ratio), curing temperature (23 °C and 60 °C), and number of curing days (3, 7, and 28 d) are investigated. The use of urea is considered owing to the possibility of calcium carbonate formation. The activated GGBFS is evaluated in the form of a cube (5 cm × 5 cm × 5 cm) for its strength, mineral identification, and pore size distribution. A brick (19 cm × 9 cm × 5.7 cm) is prefabricated to see the feasibility of commercializing bacteria-activated GGBFS based on water absorption and strength measurements. All results are compared with those of water-activated GGBFS. The results indicate that the use of urea inhibits the strength improvement of bacteria-activated GGBFS. Bacterial suspension enhances the GGBFS strength at a curing temperature of 60 °C. Mineral identification tests show that the strength increase is primarily due to the formation of calcite. The compressive strength satisfies the commercial standard of concrete bricks; however, the water absorption rate must be resolved.