Analyzing the effect of tannic acid as a bio-additive and water purification agent in cement pastes

Non-toxic and bio-based additives create opportunities for cementitious composites, such as reducing carbon emissions. This study aims to analyze the functionality and availability of tannic acid as a purifying agent in cement pastes. Tannic acid created a porous structure in cement pastes and decreased the compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity due to excessive hydroxyl groups. However, tannic acid showed a crucial improvement ratio of 97% in the inhibition of total viable micro-organisms at the end of the fourth day. Moreover, micro-organisms growth was inhibited after 4 days with the use of 1% tannic acid and 0.1% graphene oxide instead of cement in the paste. It is envisaged that tannic acid can be used in the production of permeable concrete with its water treatment performance, and can be used in filter design in sewage and city infrastructures.