Sustainable Biocement Production via Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation: Use of Limestone and Acetic Acid Derived from Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass

Abstract

Biocement production from microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is an environmentally friendly approach for construction works, but the use of calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) in the conventional MICP process is a cost-limiting factor. The aim of this work is to develop a method for producing soluble calcium ions through two waste sources, limestone powder derived from aggregate quarries and acetic acid derived from fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, as a replacement for the reagent grade CaCl 2 in the MICP process. The ratio of limestone powder to acetic acid solution was optimized for a desirable calcium concentration with an appropriate pH. Procedures for applying the urease-producing bacteria, urea, and calcium solutions were developed for a successful MICP process and were treated for sand column test. The engineering properties of the biocemented sand, including water permeability, unconfined compressive strength, and tensile strength, were evaluated as a function of the calcium carbonate content of the product. It was found that the properties of the sand treated using the limestone/acetic acid derived calcium solution were comparable to those of sand treated using reagent grade CaCl 2 . Collectively, the results indicate that the new MICP process is effective, more sustainable, and cheaper compared with the conventional MICP method.

Towards a low CO2 emission building material employing bacterial metabolism in a two-step process of limestone dissolution and recrystallization: The bacterial system and prototype production

“…The same group achieved slightly higher values, 0.5 to 1.4 MPa, in another study where limestone was dissolved in acetic acid derived from pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass [16], for CaCO3 contents between 6 and 8 %. Acid concentrations in this study were in the 32 range of 200 to 1200 mM, with the highest calcium concentration, 830 mM, produced for the lowest acid concentration.…”

“…However, the use of CaCl2 generates chloride ions that can drive corrosion of steel used as reinforcement [3]. Alternative calcium sources that have yielded promising results include calcium lactate [3], calcium hydroxide, calcium nitrate, calcium acetate, and calcium released from eggshells by treating them with acetic acid [16]. For all of these alternatives, cost and availability can limit large-scale application [3].…”

“…In this study, we introduce a new avenue for biocementation where powdered limestone, which is a cheap and abundant raw material, e.g. as waste fines from limestone quarries [16], is used as calcium source. It has recently been suggested by Choi et al [16] that limestone can be dissolved by acetic acid, a by-product from biofuel production, to produce the Ca 2+ -containing solution required for MICP.…”

“…as waste fines from limestone quarries [16], is used as calcium source. It has recently been suggested by Choi et al [16] that limestone can be dissolved by acetic acid, a by-product from biofuel production, to produce the Ca 2+ -containing solution required for MICP. The interplay between bacterially produced organic acid to dissolve calcium carbonate and subsequently precipitate it in the presence of urea has been described in natural environments [17,18], but has not yet been applied in biocementation for construction purposes.…”

Undrained Behavior of Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitated Sand with Polyvinyl Alcohol Fiber

“…This was followed by a final rinse and drain cycle to ensure full calcium extraction. The eluted solution was then placed back in the oven at 105 • C. The difference in the dried weight of the original and eluted-dried samples was taken to be the weight of the calcite precipitated in the sample [21,22].…”