Surface treatment of concrete by calcium carbonate biodeposition using Candida orthopsilosis

Commercially, toxic construction chemicals, such as acrylics and epoxies, are widely utilized for protecting concrete against deterioration and damage. Biomineralization is viewed as an eco-friendly solution to the problem of using the chemicals for surface treatment of contaminated concrete. This paper provides information on the study outcomes regarding the biomineralization effect of Candida orthopsilosis for the surface treatment of contaminated concrete. Abundance of C. orthopsilosis could be traced from the waste of the beverage industry. The capability of the fungus to grow, induce biomineralization and trap heavy metals has made it attractive to be investigated for the eco-friendly surface treatment of contaminated concrete. Under the optimized fungal surface treatment, the treated concrete cubes were tested to have an average 28-day compressive strength of 35.98 MPa and an average 28-day water absorption of 0.44%. The two parametric values of the untreated concrete cubes were found to be 34.61 MPa and 0.47%, respectively. At the same curing time, the leach ability of heavy metals from the treated concrete cubes was decreased to a very low level. The overall findings revealed that C. orthopsilosis-induced calcium carbonate crystals can be viably produced for the surface treatment of contaminated concrete.