Optimizing microbial- and enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation treatment regimes to improve the performance of recycled aggregate concrete

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) typically suffers from inferior properties due to old mortar on the surface of recycled aggregate (RA), and the practical application of two proposed treatment methods, microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) and enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP), has encountered challenges in determining optimal culture medium and precipitation regimes. This study initially aimed to address these challenges by establishing the feasibility of using chloride-free cultivation medium to avoid introducing chloride ions that could damage the steel reinforcement. The optimal Ca concentration in the precipitation culture medium was determined as 0.3 mol/L for MICP and 0.5 mol/L for EICP. Furthermore, the optimal precipitation regimes for MICP and EICP treatments were identified as I-S (5 cycles) and M-S (3 cycles), respectively. The quantitative evaluation of the above factors enabled the direct practical application of these optimal treatment regimes. The performance of RAC was significantly improved after both MICP and EICP treatments compared to untreated RAC, with EICP treatment demonstrating superior performance. The precipitated CaCO₃ formed during MICP treatment consisted mainly of spherical vaterite crystals, while the precipitation formed during EICP treatment comprised vaterite, calcite, and aragonite. These differences in phase and mechanism between MICP and EICP treatments could explain the variations in the performance of RAC.