Bio-cementation through controlled dissolution and recrystallization of calcium carbonate

Abstract

We present an approach to bio-cementation of sand where the calcium source is prepared by dissolving powdered limestone (chalk) in lactic acid. Cementation is achieved through enzyme induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) with Jack Bean urease. The real-time nucleation and growth of crystals, crystal morphology and mechanical strength of consolidated samples was studied for dissolved chalk solution as well as calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium lactate solutions. Solutions containing lactate were found to yield spherical calcite crystals. The compressive strengths of consolidated samples ranged from 0.06 to 2.8 MPa, increasing with the amount of precipitated CaCO3.

Biocementation of sand by Sporosarcina pasteurii strain and technical-grade cementation reagents through surface percolation treatment method

“…Greater awareness on the environmental and human 77 impacts of conventional cement production has inspired the need to investigate alternatives 78 binders. Biocement (insoluble crystal) has recently emerged as a new binding material which is produced through microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) for soil stabilization [3]. It has the ability to bind porous materials together and enhance their mechanical properties (i.e.…”

The study of the hardening process Portland cement`s concrete with bio cementing additives

“…To study the growth of a colony of microorganisms on a concrete plane [6][7][8][9], it is necessary to study the morphological and temporal characteristics of such growth under various initial conditions, as well as to establish the relationship between the morphological characteristics of bacteria and their growth rate as a factor that generally characterizes their activity. In this model, each microorganism in the colony is modeled separately, and this approach allows us to better understand the statistical principles of the growth kinetics of microorganisms.…”

“…Despite the variety of additives added to cement, their choice is not always justified. The effect of the ratio of the dispersion of additives and cement and the associated optimal amount of additives has not been sufficiently studied [6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…Like any interdisciplinary direction, the technology of carbonate biomineralization in building materials science, having passed the stages of studying natural analogs of the processes expected to be borrowed, theoretically substantiating the prospects for their applied use, has passed into the stage of accumulating empirical results that require generalization and analysis. Taking into account the above, the problem of developing technology and managing the process of obtaining composite building concrete materials using carbonate biomineralization is an urgent task [3,7,9]. The purpose of this work is to study the hardening processes of concrete based on Portland cement using biocementing additives.…”

Opportunities and challenges for engineering construction materials as carbon sinks

“…Several biological mechanisms have been explored to support carbon-sequestration in concrete. These have included microbial-and fungal-driven pathways to produce CaCO3 as bio-cementation routes for reduced GHG emissions [52][53][54]. There are a variety of methods to produce such bio-cements, and depending on feedstocks, it has been proposed that these cements could lead to a reduction in GHG emissions of more than 70% relative to Portland cement [53].…”