Biomineralization of CaCO3 by Bacillus sp. 8WNM for Application as Bio-Cement

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University

2 Microbial Biotechnology Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo Egypt

3 Building Materials Research and Quality Control Institute Housing and Building, National Research Center

Abstract

Globally, cement is the most often used building material, but its traditional manufacture comes with significant environmental impacts along with restrictions on cost and quality. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is a commonly used substance in this context. To overcome these obstacles, biological building materials are becoming sustainable technology. Recently, the production of CaCO3 by bacteria has garnered attention due to its environmentally friendly and health-conscious approach. In this study, Bacillus sp. 8WNM was isolated from Wadi El Natrun lake, Egypt and evaluated for its ability to precipitate CaCO3 through biomineralization using different calcium compounds, including calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2), calcium acetate (Ca(CH3COO)2), and calcium chloride (CaCl2). The precipitated CaCO3 was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. Among the tested sources, calcium acetate was the most effective, yielding the highest amount of precipitate. XRD analysis confirmed that the obtained CaCO3 exhibited a single-phase structure, while FTIR analysis identified peaks corresponding to CaCO3. The precipitated particles were mainly cubic, consisting of Ca (15.38±1.34%), C (23.21±1.08%), and O (61.41±3.84%). Optimal conditions for CaCO3 precipitation were achieved with a calcium source concentration of 2.5 g/L, an inoculum size of 1.5 mL, and an incubation period of 8 days, resulting in a production yield of 0.236 g/100 mL. The promising results obtained by precipitating CaCO3 using Bacillus sp. 8WNM recommend its usage in the bioconstruction materials production that are both financially sustainable and socially and environmentally beneficial.

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