Effective Microorganisms for Concrete (EMC) Admixture – Its Effects to the Mechanical Properties of Concrete

Effective Microorganisms for Concrete (EMC) is now being produced locally and used in the construction industry to promote sustainability. Fermentation is the main concept in EMC in which the process will not produce harmful substances. Previous works in Japan found that EMC improved the concrete strength and also durability. This research was carried out to determine the optimum percentage of EMC to be added into concrete and to what extend EMC is able to enhance the mechanical properties of concrete. 11 sets of sample in the increment of 5 % till 50 % were prepared. Compressive, tensile and flexural strength tests were carried out. The finding shows that when adding 5 % of EMC into the concrete, the compressive, tensile and flexural strength were 143.90%, 25.23 % and 19.17 % of the design compressive strength respectively. However, study also shows that by adding 25 % EMC and beyond, the tensile strength was higher compared to the lower dosage. Therefore, the study concludes that the most economical and optimum percentage of EMC added into the concrete is 5 % in which enhancing its design strength