Influence of temperature on microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation for soil treatment

Abstract

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a potential method for improvement of soil. A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the influence of temperatures for soil improvement by MICP. The ureolytic activity experiments, MICP experiments in aqueous solution and sand column using Sporosarcina pasteurii were conducted at different temperatures(10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C). The results showed there were microbially induced CaCO 3 precipitation at all the temperatures from 10 to 30°C. The results of ureolytic activity experiments showed that the bacterial had higher ureolytic activity at high temperatures within the early 20 hours, however, the ureolytic activity at higher temperatures decreased more quickly than at lower temperatures. The results of MICP experiments in aqueous solution and sand column were consistent with tests of ureolytic activity. Within 20 to 50 hours of the start of the test, more CaCO 3 precipitation was precipitated at higher temperature, subsequently, the precipitation rate of all experiments decreased, and the higher the temperature, the faster the precipitation rate dropped. The final precipitation amount of CaCO 3 in aqueous solution and sand column tests at 10 °C was 92% and 37% higher than that at 30 °C. The maximum unconfined compressive strength of MICP treated sand column at 10 °C was 135% higher than that at 30 °C. The final treatment effect of MICP at lower temperature was better than that at high temperature within the temperature range studied. The reason for better treatment effect at lower temperatures was due to the longer retention time of ureolytic activity of bacteria at lower temperatures.

Temperature‐dependent inactivation and catalysis rates of plant‐based ureases for engineered biomineralization

“…Engineered (bio)mineralization or ureolysis‐induced calcium carbonate precipitation (UICP) techniques (Equation [1]) have been an increasingly popular area of research for use in ground improvement, construction materials, remediation, and subsurface applications 1‐8 . In fact, ground improvement with mineralization strategies has been studied extensively resulting in a new field of study described as bio‐mediated geotechnics 2,9‐13 . In the subsurface, where temperatures increase with increasing depth, engineered mineralization has the potential to be utilized in place of traditional cement or grout for remediating wellbore integrity, sealing fractures in concrete and rock formations utilized for fluid storage (eg, CO 2 , natural gas, or H 2 ), controlling flow paths for oil and gas recovery, or creating subsurface barriers for water pollution control 14‐19 …”

THE MATRIX IS EVERYWHERE: CACO3BIOMINERALIZATION BY THEBACILLUS LICHENIFORMISPLANKTONIC CELLS

“…Several research groups reported the intracellular carbonate ion formation within metabolic reactions of the cell together with free calcium ions attraction out of the cell followed by the formation of insoluble CaCO3 crystals at the negatively charged cell wall surface (15). In this case, the crystal morphology depends on many factors: the bacterial cell morphology, environmental components, as well as physical factors (temperature, pH, and aeration) (16). This was confirmed by Ghosh et al who demonstrated appearance of nanoscale calcium carbonate crystals at the surface of Sporosarcina pasteurii (17) supporting the hypothesis of the critical role of a negatively charged surface in the formation of crystals.…”

Isolation, identification and growth conditions of calcite producing bacteria from urea-rich soil

“…Urease activity is stable between 15 and 25°C, and an increase in temperature (until 60°C) results in increased urease activity (Whiffin, 2004;Peng and Liu, 2019).…”