Abstract
Calcite minerals are precipitated in soil through biomineralisation which can be either organic or inorganic in nature. Biomineralisation can be employed to improve ground conditions in its natural state. Usually, studies of applied biomineralisation are highly interdisciplinary involving expertise from engineers, chemists and microbiologists. In this paper, we study the potential of biomineralisation from indigenous bacteria present in soil. The soil samples were collected from a high permeable zone and the bacteria that inhabit the soil were stimulated at a temperature of 15°C. A cementation solution consisting of 500mM calcium chloride, urea and nutrient broth at a pH of 7.5 was added to the soil samples. Inorganic precipitation was found to be dominant and was more efficient when compared to organic precipitation. Carbonate precipitation data indicated that inorganic precipitation were 1.37 times better at carbonate formation in comparison to organic precipitation. Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis identified cementation bonds formed between soil particles. It was deducted that organic precipitation is dependent on temperature, and may take an extended time at such low temperature. The preliminary data presented in this paper suggests that the implementation of biomineralisation with in-situ microbes is promising but requires further laboratory and field investigation before being considered for engineering application.
Highlights
Bacterial application towards engineering purposes is attracting the attention of microbiologist and geotechnical engineers worldwide
Okwadha and Li [4] found that high concentration of bacterial cells increases the amount of calcite precipitation by Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP), which happens because of the increase in the urease concentration for urea hydrolysis
This paper presents a study that investigates the carbonate precipitating bacterial stimulation from a soil sampled from Formby, UK and the main objective is to provide a preliminary analysis on the possibility of insitu application of biomineralisation towards ground improvement
Summary
Bacterial application towards engineering purposes is attracting the attention of microbiologist and geotechnical engineers worldwide. Microbial activity that alters the chemical environment favoring mineral formation is known as Biomineralization [1], [2]. Research in MICP has shown that microbially released CO2 interacts with the biomineralization solution favoring carbonate formation. Bacteria commonly serve as nucleation sites for the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Okwadha and Li [4] found that high concentration of bacterial cells increases the amount of calcite precipitation by MICP, which happens because of the increase in the urease concentration for urea hydrolysis. This paper presents a study that investigates the carbonate precipitating bacterial stimulation from a soil sampled from Formby, UK and the main objective is to provide a preliminary analysis on the possibility of insitu application of biomineralisation towards ground improvement
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