STUDY OF VEGE-GROUT AS COATING MATERIAL IN REDUCING SURFACE TEMPERATURE

Pavement is one of the main features in cities and urban areas that contribute to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The urban areas are more affected by this condition compared to the rural areas due to the extensive built environment and lack of vegetation cover. Many studies have reported that the shear strength of sandy soil was improved by using the microbial-induced calcite precipitation method and most of the experimental work on microbial cementation utilized cultivated culture of ureolytic bacteria for calcium carbonate formation. However, our previous study has demonstrated that vege-grout from vegetable waste can also induce bio-cementation due to the presence of microbial activity in the vege-grout. Following this, the study has been expanded to investigate the feasibility of bio-cementation from vege-grout as a coating material to reduce surface temperature. A mixture of the coating was developed using vege-grout as the main composition. The mixture was then applied on the surface of the interlocking paver and left to cure at room temperature for seven days. Surface temperature was measured using an infrared thermometer and thermographic camera. Results showed that the surface temperature of vege-grout coated paver was reduced by 4-5 oC compared to that of control. The outcome of this study suggested that vege-grout has the potential to be explored as a component for coating material that can reduce surface temperature.