Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column
Abstract Microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP), which leverages ureolytic microorganisms, has received significant attention during the past decade as a promising method for sustainable building and geoenvironmental applications. However, transitioning from lab-scale experimentation to volu...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87074-9 |
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| author | Dimitrios Terzis Camilla Perego Margherita Cappa Elisa Pianta Federica Mauri Pamela Principi |
| author_facet | Dimitrios Terzis Camilla Perego Margherita Cappa Elisa Pianta Federica Mauri Pamela Principi |
| author_sort | Dimitrios Terzis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP), which leverages ureolytic microorganisms, has received significant attention during the past decade as a promising method for sustainable building and geoenvironmental applications. However, transitioning from lab-scale experimentation to volumes suitable for practical use poses challenges. This study addresses these obstacles by screening and analyzing over 50 strains sourced from (i) a natural environment in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland; (ii) microorganism banks; and (iii) an industry-scale bioreactor. Several ureolytic Sporosarcina species have been identified in the natural environment, and their ureolytic potential has been compared with that of other strains. A reference, banked microorganism yielded the highest ureolysis rate. When this latter strain was inoculated in 900 L batches and continuously cultivated at 5400 L, no contamination issues were observed, and the reference strain remained the dominant species. The produced culture, obtained under an optimized medium composition involving the circular valorization of NH4 +, was subsequently used to induce the biocementation of a 650 kg column of 0–1 mm sand. The results reveal the successful stabilization of the whole mass, with undrained Tresca strength values ranging from 90 to 140 kPa. This research lays the groundwork for scalable MICP production, which is capable of meeting the demands of real-world building and geoenvironmental projects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab6728db0c75452588c554eb27f5f6de |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ab6728db0c75452588c554eb27f5f6de2025-01-26T12:32:48ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-011511810.1038/s41598-025-87074-9Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale columnDimitrios Terzis0Camilla Perego1Margherita Cappa2Elisa Pianta3Federica Mauri4Pamela Principi5Faculty of Environment, Architecture and Civil Engineering (ENAC), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL)Environmental Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Department of Environment, Construction and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)Environmental Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Department of Environment, Construction and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)Environmental Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Department of Environment, Construction and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)Environmental Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Department of Environment, Construction and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)Environmental Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Department of Environment, Construction and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)Abstract Microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP), which leverages ureolytic microorganisms, has received significant attention during the past decade as a promising method for sustainable building and geoenvironmental applications. However, transitioning from lab-scale experimentation to volumes suitable for practical use poses challenges. This study addresses these obstacles by screening and analyzing over 50 strains sourced from (i) a natural environment in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland; (ii) microorganism banks; and (iii) an industry-scale bioreactor. Several ureolytic Sporosarcina species have been identified in the natural environment, and their ureolytic potential has been compared with that of other strains. A reference, banked microorganism yielded the highest ureolysis rate. When this latter strain was inoculated in 900 L batches and continuously cultivated at 5400 L, no contamination issues were observed, and the reference strain remained the dominant species. The produced culture, obtained under an optimized medium composition involving the circular valorization of NH4 +, was subsequently used to induce the biocementation of a 650 kg column of 0–1 mm sand. The results reveal the successful stabilization of the whole mass, with undrained Tresca strength values ranging from 90 to 140 kPa. This research lays the groundwork for scalable MICP production, which is capable of meeting the demands of real-world building and geoenvironmental projects.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87074-9BiocementationUreolysisMICPBioreactorCultivationMineralization |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrios Terzis Camilla Perego Margherita Cappa Elisa Pianta Federica Mauri Pamela Principi Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column Scientific Reports Biocementation Ureolysis MICP Bioreactor Cultivation Mineralization |
| title | Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column |
| title_full | Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column |
| title_fullStr | Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column |
| title_short | Biocementation beyond the Petri dish, scaling up to 900 L batches and a meter-scale column |
| title_sort | biocementation beyond the petri dish scaling up to 900 l batches and a meter scale column |
| topic | Biocementation Ureolysis MICP Bioreactor Cultivation Mineralization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87074-9 |
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