• 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.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.39-59
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• 2022

How in the Antarctic icefish, generally, and Pseudochaenichthys georgianus, in particular, otoliths increase in size and build new material as the fish ages and passes through different life phases is largely unexplored. Morphometric details of 3418 otoliths of Ps. georgianus from S. Georgia and 318 from S. Shetland, were processed and proportions of the amounts of collagen and aragonite removed by EDTA were determined for different age groups. Microstructural investigations showed that characteristics of the 3-dimensinal collagen net are the reason for the radial direction and orientation of the aragonite needles of approximately 1.0 ㎛ in length in larval and 2.3 ㎛ in length in adult specimens. Earlier generated increment layers from the primordial centre (PC) in the dorsal direction restrict those of the secondary centre (SC), causing new growth layer accretion in different directions. In the otoliths of larval Ps. georgianus, aragonite layers are 0.89 ㎛ wide while in juveniles and adults they measure 1.45-2.86 ㎛. Otoliths change from a sphere shape in the larvae to a longish object of irregular outline in the older stages. It is tentaively suggested that the observed otolith shape differences at distinct growth stages are due to physical effects related to swimming speeds at particular water depths and locations. To confirm that otoliths, apart from being useful for age analyses, could also serve to establish correlations between developmental stage and the oceanic environment the fish spend time in, further analyses using additional species and state-of-the-art methods like µCT imaging to evaluate otolith volumes and shapes are required.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 1996

Physicochemical properties of Youngia sonchifolia were compared according to harvesting time and brine methods for its Kimchi preparation. Moisture contents in the roots and the leaves of Y. sonchifolia grown for 5 weeks was more than those grown for 11 weeks. 5-week-grown Y. sonchifolia contained more total free sugar than 11-week-grown ones, and among total free sugar the content of fructose was the most, and the contents of glucose and sucrose were rather high. The roots of 11-week-grown Youngia sonchifolia were harder than those of 5-week grown ones. When the roots were soaked in NaCl solution, the hardness decreased with time. Salt concentration of the Kimchi of Y. sonchifolia increased by the brined material of the Kimchi with soaking time.Salt concentration of the Kimchi was higher in the leaves than in the roots.The roots and leaves of Y.sonchifolia grown for 11 weeks contained organic acids such as malic acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid,lactic acid, and citric acid,among which major organic acids were malic acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, whereas lactic acid and citric acid were minor organic acids.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2018

Baekasan Acheon cave located in Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do is a natural limestone cave only found in this province. In this study, the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of speleothems collected from Baekasan Acheon cave were identified and the capability of carbonate mineral formation by aerobic microorganisms enriched from the cave and the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of carbonate minerals formed by the microorganisms were investigated. The samples of sediments (clay) and speleothems (shelfstone and cave coral) were collected at three sites in the cave. The samples of shelfstone and cave coral were identified mainly as carbonate mineral, Mg-rich calcite, and clay minerals were composed of quartz, muscovite, and vermiculite by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. To cultivate the carbonate forming microorganisms, parts of the sediment and speleothems were placed in D-1 medium containing urea, respectively, and the growth of microorganisms was observed under the aerobic condition at room temperature. The capability of carbonate mineralization of the cultured Baekasan Acheon cave microorganisms was examined through adding 1% (v/v) of the cultured microorganisms and calcium sources, Ca-acetate or Ca-lactate, into the D-1 medium. XRD analysis showed that the microorganisms cultured in cave deposits formed calcium carbonate ($CaCO_3$) under all conditions, and these microbial carbonate minerals included calcite and vaterite. The morphological characteristics and chemical composition of biologically formed minerals were observed by SEM-EDS showed various crystal forms such as rhomboid, spherical, perforated surface with Ca, C, and O of major chemical components. The existence of such microorganisms in the cave can contribute the formation of carbonate minerals, and it is likely to affect the geochemical cycles of carbon and calcium in the cave.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.194-199
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• 2016

Presently, for the cement industry, studies that seek to reduce $CO_2$, because of the development of the plastic industry and demand for reduction of energy use, have been actively conducted among them, studies attempting to use Gamma-$C_2S({\gamma}-C_2S)$ to fix $CO_2$ have been actively conducted. The ${\gamma}-C_2S$ compound has an important function in reacting to $CO_2$ and stiffening through carbonatization in the air. The ${\gamma}-C_2S$ compound, reacting to $CO_2$ in the air, generates $CaCO_2$ within the pore structure of cement materials and densifies the pore structure this leads to an improvement of the durability and to the characteristic of resistance against neutralization. Therefore, in this experiment, in order to synthesize ${\gamma}-C_2S$, limestone sludge and waste foundry sands are used these materials are plasticized for 30 or 60 minutes at $1450^{\circ}C$, and are prevented from being cooled in the temperature range of $30{\sim}1000^{\circ}C$ when they are about to be cooled. XRD analysis and XRF analysis are used to determine the effects of this process on ${\gamma}-C_2S$ synthesization, the temperature at which a thing is plasticized, and the conditions for cooling that obtain in the plasticized clinker also, in order to confirm the $CO_2$ capture function, analysis of the major hydration products is conducted through an analysis of carbonatization depth and compressive strength, and through MIP analysis and XRD Rietveld analysis. As a result of these analyses, it is found that when ${\gamma}-C_2S$ was synthesized, the clinker that was plasticized at $1450^{\circ}C$ for one hour demonstrated the highest yield rate the sample with which the ${\gamma}-C_2S$ was mixed generated $CaCO_3$ when it reacted with $CO_2$ therefore, carbonatization depth and porosity were reduced, and the compressive strength was increased.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2015

Recently, carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques have been globally studied. This study was conducted to use waste cement powder as an efficient raw material of mineral carbonation for $CO_2$ sequestration. Direct aqueous carbonation experiment was conducted with injecting pure $CO_2$ gas (99.9%) to a reactor containing $200m{\ell}$ reacting solution and the pulverized cement paste (W:C = 6:4) having particle size less than 0.15 mm. The effects of two additives (NaCl, $MgCl_2$) in carbonation were analyzed. The characteristics of carbonate minerals and carbonation process according to the type of additives and pH change were carefully evaluated. pH of reacting solution was gradually decreased with injecting $CO_2$ gas. $Ca^{2+}$ ion concentration in $MgCl_2$ containing solution was continuously decreased. In none $MgCl_2$ solution, however, $Ca^{2+}$ ion concentration was increased again as pH decreased. This is probably due to the dissolution of newly formed carbonate mineral in low pH solution. XRD analysis indicates that calcite is dominant carbonate mineral in none $MgCl_2$ solution whereas aragonite is dominant in $MgCl_2$ containing solution. Unstable vaterite formed in early stage of experiment was transformed to well crystallized calcite with decreasing pH in the absence of $MgCl_2$ additives. In the presence of $MgCl_2$ additives, the content of aragonite was increased with decreasing pH whereas the content of calite was decreased.