• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-90
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• 2022

Soybean-urease induced carbonate precipitation (EICP), as an alternative to microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), was employed for soil improvement. Meanwhile, soluble calcium produced from industrial waste carbide slag powder (CSP) via the acid dissolution method was used for the EICP process. The ratio of CSP to the acetic acid solution was optimized to obtain a desirable calcium concentration with an appropriate pH. The calcium solution was then used for the sand columns test, and the engineering properties of the EICP-treated sand, including unconfined compressive strength, permeability, and calcium carbonate content, were evaluated. Results showed that the properties of the biocemented sand using the CSP derived calcium solution were comparable to those using the reagent grade CaCl₂. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed that spherical vaterite crystals were mainly formed when the CSP-derived calcium solution was used. In contrast, spherical calcite crystals were primarily formed as the reagent grade CaCl₂ was used. This study highlighted that it was effective and sustainable to use soluble calcium produced from CSP for the EICP process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.707-714
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• 2013

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP) is a naturally occurring biological process that has various applications in remediation and restoration of a range of building materials. In the present investigation, five ureolytic bacterial isolates capable of inducing calcium carbonate precipitation were isolated from calcareous soils on the basis of production of urease, carbonic anhydrase, extrapolymeric substances, and biofilm. Bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus megaterium, B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, B. subtilis, and Lysinibacillus fusiformis based on 16S rRNA analysis. The calcium carbonate polymorphs produced by various bacterial isolates were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, X ray diffraction, and Fourier transmission infra red spectroscopy. A strain-specific precipitation of calcium carbonate forms was observed from different bacterial isolates. Based on the type of polymorph precipitated, the technology of MICCP can be applied for remediation of various building materials.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.465-473
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• 2019

Biocementation due to the microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) process is a potential technique that can be used for soil improvement. However, the effect of biocementation may be affected by many factors, including nutrient concentration, bacterial strains, injection strategy, temperature, pH, and soil type. This study investigates mainly the effect of chemical concentration on the formation of calcium carbonate (e.g., quantity, size, and crystalline structure) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) using different treatment time and chemical concentration in the biotreatment. Two chemical concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 M) and three different treatment times (2, 4, and 8 cycles) were studied. The effect of chemical concentrations on the treatment was also examined by making the total amount of chemicals injected to be the same, but using different times of treatment and chemical concentrations (8 cycles for 0.50 M and 4 cycles for 1.00 M). The UCS and CCC were measured and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was carried out. The SEM images revealed that the sizes of calcium carbonate crystals increased with an increase in chemical concentrations. The UCS values resulting from the treatments using low concentration were slightly greater than those from the treatments using high concentration, given the CCC to be more or less the same. This trend can be attributed to the size of the precipitated crystals, in which the cementation efficiency increases as the crystal size decreases, for a given CCC. Furthermore, in the high concentration treatment, two mineral types of calcium carbonate were precipitated, namely, calcite and amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). As the crystal shape and morphology of ACC differ from those of calcite, the bonding provided by ACC can be weaker than that provided by calcite. As a result, the conditions of calcium carbonate were affected by test key factors and eventually, contributed to the UCS values.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.95-108
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• 2023

Soft soil ground is a crucial factor limiting the development of the construction of transportation infrastructure in coastal areas. Soft soil is characterized by low strength, low permeability and high compressibility. However, the ordinary treatment method uses Portland cement to solidify the soft soil, which has low early strength and requires a long curing time. Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is an emerging method to address geo-environmental problems associated with geotechnical materials. In this study, a method of bio-cementitious mortars consisting of MICP and cement was proposed to stabilize the soft soil. A series of laboratory tests were conducted on MICP-treated and cement-MICP-treated (C-MICP-treated) soft soils to improve mechanical properties. Microscale observations were also undertaken to reveal the underlying mechanism of cement-soil treated by MICP. The results showed that cohesion and internal friction angles of MICP-treated soft soil were greater than those of remolded soft soil. The UCS, elastic modulus and toughness of C-MICP-treated soft soil with high moisture content (50%, 60%, 70%, 80%) were improved compared to traditional cement-soil. A remarkable difference was observed that the MICP process mainly played a role in the early curing stage (i.e., within 14 days) while cement hydration continued during the whole process. Micro-characterization revealed that the calcium carbonate filling the pores enhanced the soft soil.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.1311-1322
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• 2021

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has recently become an intelligent and environmentally friendly method for repairing cracks in concrete. To improve on this ability of microbial materials concrete repair, we applied random mutagenesis and optimization of mineralization conditions to improve the quantity and crystal form of microbially precipitated calcium carbonate. Sporosarcina pasteurii ATCC 11859 was used as the starting strain to obtain the mutant with high urease activity by atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis. Next, we investigated the optimal biomineralization conditions and precipitation crystal form using Plackett-Burman experimental design and response surface methodology (RSM). Biomineralization with 0.73 mol/l calcium chloride, 45 g/l urea, reaction temperature of 45℃, and reaction time of 22 h, significantly increased the amount of precipitated calcium carbonate, which was deposited in the form of calcite crystals. Finally, the repair of concrete using the optimized biomineralization process was evaluated. A comparison of water absorption and adhesion of concrete specimens before and after repairs showed that concrete cracks and surface defects could be efficiently repaired. This study provides a new method to engineer biocementing material for concrete repair.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.540-548
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• 2016

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (CCP) is a long-standing but re-emerging environmental engineering process for production of self-healing concrete, bioremediation, and long-term storage of CO₂. CCP-capable bacteria, two Bacillus strains (JH3 and JH7) and one Sporosarcina strain (HYO08), were isolated from two samples of concrete and characterized phylogenetically. Calcium carbonate crystals precipitated by the three strains were morphologically distinct according to field emission scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry mapping confirmed biomineralization via extracellular calcium carbonate production. The three strains differed in their physiological characteristics: growth at alkali pH and high NaCl concentrations, and urease activity. Sporosarcina sp. HYO08 and Bacillus sp. JH7 were more alkali- and halotolerant, respectively. Analysis of the community from the same concrete samples using barcoded pyrosequencing revealed that the relative abundance of Bacillus and Sporosarcina species was low, which indicated low culturability of other dominant bacteria. This study suggests that calcium carbonate crystals with different properties can be produced by various CCP-capable strains, and other novel isolates await discovery.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2023

Soil erosion can cause scouring and failures of underwater structures, therefore, various soil improvement techniques are used to increase the soil erosion resistance. The microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) method is proposed to increase the erosion resistance, however, there are only limited experimental and numerical studies on the use of MICP treatment for improvement of surface erosion resistance. Therefore, this study investigates the improvement in surface erosion resistance of sands by MICP through laboratory experiments and numerical modeling. The surface erosion behaviors of coarse sands with various calcium carbonate contents were first investigated via the erosion function apparatus (EFA). The test results showed that MICP treatment increased the overall erosion resistance, and the contribution of the precipitated calcium carbonate to the erosion resistance and critical shear stress was quantified in relation to the calcium carbonate contents. Further, these surface erosion processes occurring in the EFA test were simulated through the coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) with the cohesion bonding model to reflect the mineral precipitation effect. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results, and the developed CFD-DEM model with the cohesion bonding model well predicted the critical shear stress of MICP-treated sand. This work demonstrates that the MICP treatment is effective in improving soil erosion resistance, and the coupled CFD-DEM with a bonding model is a useful and promising tool to analyze the soil erosion behavior for MICP-treated sand at a particle scale.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.404-416
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• 2020

Bacteria that are resistant to high temperatures and alkaline environments are essential for the biological repair of damaged concrete. Alkaliphilic and halotolerant Bacillus sp. AK13 was isolated from the rhizosphere of Miscanthus sacchariflorus. Unlike other tested Bacillus species, the AK13 strain grows at pH 13 and withstands 11% (w/v) NaCl. Growth of the AK13 strain at elevated pH without urea promoted calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) formation. Irregular vaterite-like CaCO₃ minerals that were tightly attached to cells were observed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed the presence of CaCO₃ around the cell. Isotope ration mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that the majority of CO₃^2- ions in the CaCO₃ were produced by cellular respiration rather than being derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide. The minerals produced from calcium acetate-added growth medium formed smaller crystals than those formed in calcium lactate-added medium. Strain AK13 appears to heal cracks on mortar specimens when applied as a pelletized spore powder. Alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. AK13 is a promising candidate for self-healing agents in concrete.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.281-289
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• 2022

Bio-CaCO₃ is a blowout environment-friendly materials for soil improvement and sealing of rock fissures. To evaluate the chemical characteristics, shape, size and productivity of soybean urease induced CaCO₃ precipitates (SUICP), experimental studies were conducted via EDS, XRD, FT-IR, TGA, BET, and SEM. Also, the conversion rate of SUICP reaction at different time were determined and analyzed. The Bio-CaCO₃ product obtained by SUICP is comprehensively judged as calcite based on the results of EDS, XRD and FT-IR. The SUICP calcite precipitates are detected as spherical or ellipsoidal particles 3-6 ㎛ in diameter with nanoscale pores on their surface, and this morphology is novel. The median secondary particle size d₅₀ is 39-88 ㎛, indicating the agglomeration of the primary calcite particles. The Bio-calcite decomposes at 650-780℃, representing a medium thermal stability. The conversion rate of SUICP reaction can reach 80% in 24h, which is much more efficient than microbially induced CaCO₃ precipitation. These results reveal the knowledges of SUICP, and further direct its engineering applications. Moreover, we show an economic channel to obtain porous spherical calcite.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.416-424
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• 2023

Concrete emits a large amount of carbon dioxide throughout its life cycle, and due to the societal demand for carbon dioxide reduction, research on storing carbon dioxide in concrete in the form of minerals is ongoing. In this study, cyanobacteria, which absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and fix it as calcium carbonate, were applied to a porous concrete substrate, and the changes in the properties of the concrete substrate due to their special environmental curing condition were analyzed. The results showed that the calcium carbonate precipitation by the microorganisms was concentrated in the light-exposed surface area, and most of the precipitation occurred in the cement paste part, not in the aggregate. This microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation enhanced the mechanical performance of the paste and improved the overall compressive strength as the curing age progressed. In addition, the increase in microbial biofilm and calcium carbonate improved the pore structure, which influenced the reduction in water permeability.