Biodeterioration of Construction Materials: State of the Art and Future Challenges

Abstract

Deterioration plays an important part in the life cycle of infrastructure systems. Among all causes of deterioration (aging, chloride ingress, etc.) the action of live organisms has shown to be critical in, for example, underground structures, sewage systems, and at-sea structures. This phenomenon is usually overlooked, in part, because in most cases live organisms accelerate other processes that may eventually lead to unacceptable structural performance or cause failure (e.g., corrosion, cracking). By the direct or indirect action, it has been estimated that biodeterioration-related structural problems cost billions of dollars a year in infrastructure maintenance and repair. The paper shows that for all major civil engineering materials, in the long term and under the appropriate environmental conditions, biodeterioration may severely affect infrastructure components and their ability to perform as designed. This is particularly relevant given the large amount of existing infrastructure that has been exposed to aggressive environments for long periods of time. This paper presents an overview of the activity of live organisms on three widely used construction materials: wood, concrete, and metals. A description of the main organisms that affect each material and the associated biodeterioration mechanisms are described. In addition, this paper discusses the uncertainties associated with modeling biodeterioration and outlines the main areas for further research.