Removal of Cd2+ from wastewater by microorganism induced carbonate precipitation (MICP): An economic bioremediation approach

Copper and zinc removal from anaerobic digestates via Sporosarcina pasteurii induced precipitation: Effect of volatile fatty acids on process performance

Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) shows great potential for metals recovery from secondary sources, which is vital for circular economy. This study explores the feasibility of using Sporosarcina pasteurii for MICP to recover copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) from acidogenic anaerobic digestates at laboratory scale. Pre-cultured S. pasteurii was inoculated into solutions containing 20 g L-1 of urea and varying concentrations of Cu and Zn (0-25 mg L-1). The system was maintained at 30 °C with continuous agitation for seven days to assess Cu and Zn removal at initial pH values of 5, 6 and 7. The influence of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on urea hydrolysis and Cu and Zn removal via S. pasteurii-induced MICP was evaluated by adding 3 g COD L-1 of acetic and propionic acids to metal solutions. Results showed that S. pasteurii enhanced Cu and Zn removal, with yields varying from 22% to 100% depending on the initial pH. In the presence of VFAs, Cu and Zn removal was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), however, only S. pasteurii-incubated samples exhibited Cu and Zn removal, indicating exclusive biological-driven removal. The primary mechanisms of action inferred for Cu and Zn removal in VFAs-spiked samples involved urea hydrolysis, which increased local pH and facilitated metals precipitation, as well as the adsorption of metal ions onto the negatively charged S. pasteurii cell wall. This study demonstrates the potential of S. pasteurii to enhance Cu and Zn removal from VFAs-containing media paving the way for a sustainable metals recovery alternative from waste streams.

Bacterial biomineralization of heavy metals and its influencing factors for metal bioremediation

Increasing industrial pollution and certain hazardous agricultural practices have led to the discharge of heavy toxic metals into the environment. Among different bioremediation techniques, biomineralization is the synthesis of biomineral crystals extracellularly or intracellularly. Several bacteria, such as Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Bacillus subtilis, and Lactobacillus sphaericus have been found to induce heavy metal precipitation and mineralization for bioremediation. This article summarizes the different biomineralization mechanisms of bacterial-induced heavy metal biomineralization, mainly microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), microbial-induced phosphate precipitation (MIPP), and microbial-induced sulphide precipitation (MISP). Moreover, bacterial structures such as cell wall, biofilm, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) influence mineralization and control bacterial compartmentalization of heavy metal precipitation. Several genes control the efficiency of biomineralization in bacteria, such as ureA, ureB, ureC, phoA, dsrA, dsrB, dsrC, dsrD, dsrE, luxS, and ompR. This biomineralization mechanism provides new and broad prospects for its application in soil improvement, industrial applications, and wastewater treatments. In addition, bacterial genetic modification holds immense potential for advancing the biomineralization process to meet diverse environmental and industrial needs.

Efficient remediation of cadmium and lead contaminated soil in coal mining areas by MICP application in hydrothermal carbon-based bacterial agents: Nucleation pathways and mineralization mechanisms

The development of industrial mining has resulted in a large amount of Cd and Pb polluting the soil in mining areas, and leads to adverse health effects on the life of both plants and animals. Here, a soft template method was conducted to prepare hydrothermal carbon (HC) with regular morphology, which assisted with Bacillus pasteurii to induce calcite precipitation for decontamination of mining soil. Soil remediation experiments over 30 days of remediation with an HC microbial agent (HCMA) resulted in 89.4% and 87.8% decrease in the amount of leached Cd and Pb, respectively. The content of exchangeable Cd and Pb decreased by 76.1% and 81.0%, respectively. At the same time, soil fertility significantly improved. The electrostatic potential and surface charge distribution of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and sodium citrate (NaCit) were analyzed using DFT simulations, their nucleophilic and electrophilic regions were determined, and the nucleation mechanism was determined. The DFT results indicated that the oxygen-containing groups of EPS and NaCit had strong negative electrostatic potential and electronegativity, which could cause Cd2+, Pb2+, and Ca2+ to aggregate on their surfaces. They also combined with CO32- produced by urease during the decomposition of urea, resulting in Cd2+ and Pb2+ being encapsulated by calcium carbonate to form a coprecipitate. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the precipitate was mainly calcite calcium carbonate, which is more stable and less prone to secondary leaching of HMs. The gathered data prove the significant role of HCMA in remediation of mining soil contaminated with Cd and Pb.

Force mechanism analysis of composite microbial dust suppressants based on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mode components

As an important potential dust suppression method, the slow onset time is one of the key factors that restrict the effect of microbial dust suppressant. In the early stage, we have confirmed that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) can improve the dust suppression effect by wetting coal dust and increasing Ca2+ nucleation sites. Therefore, in this study, chitosan (CTS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in different ratios (CTS: BSA = 1:1, 1:2, 2:1) as model molecules of EPS were combined with Bacillus subtilis to prepare efficient and fast microbial dust suppressants. Furthermore, the interaction forces were analyzed through molecular dynamics simulation. Results showed that adding CTS and BSA would improve the dust suppression effect, and the dust suppression effect was the best when the ratio of CTS: BSA was 1:2. In addition, the contact angle decreased as the BSA content increased. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed that when the ratio of CTS to BSA was 1:2, the dust suppressants were easier to interact with coal dust by the key functional groups and form calcite type CaCO3. The molecular dynamics simulation results showed that the main interaction was Van der Waals force. In addition, the interaction force was strongest when CTS: BSA was 1:2, increasing by 137% compared with the microbial dust suppressants without CTS or BSA. This study provides theoretical support for the development of efficient and rapid microbial dust suppressants.

Effects of enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation technique on multiple heavy metals immobilization and unconfined compressive strength improvement of contaminated sand

Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) has been studied in remediation of heavy metal contaminated water or soil in recent years. This paper aims to investigate the immobilization mechanism of Zn2+, Ni2+, and Cr(VI) in contaminated sand, as well as strength enhancement of sand specimens by using EICP method with crude sword bean urease extracts. A series of liquid batch tests and artificially contaminated sand remediation experiments were conducted to explore the heavy metal immobilization efficacy and mechanisms. Results showed that the urea hydrolysis completion efficiency decreased as the Ca2+ concentration increased and the heavy metal immobilization percentage increased with the concentration of Ca2+ and treatment cycles in contaminated sand. After four treatment cycles with 0.5 mol/L Ca2+ added, the immobilization percentage of Zn2+, Ni2+, and Cr(VI) were 99.99 %, 86.38 %, and 75.18 %, respectively. The microscale analysis results presented that carbonate precipitates and metallic oxide such as CaCO3, ZnCO3, NiCO3, Zn(OH)2, and CrO(OH) were generated in liquid batch tests and sand remediation experiments. The SEM-EDS and FTIR results also showed that organic molecules and CaCO3 may adsorb or complex heavy metal ions. Thus, the immobilization mechanism of EICP method with crude sword bean urease can be considered as biomineralization, as well as adsorption and complexation by organic matter and calcium carbonate. The unconfined compressive strength of EICP-treated contaminated sand specimens demonstrated a positive correlation with the increased generation of carbonate precipitates, being up to 306 kPa after four treatment cycles with shear failure mode. Crude sword bean urease with 0.5 mol/L Ca2+ added is recommended to immobilize multiple heavy metal ions and enhance soil strength.

Study on the Mechanical Properties of Crack Mortar Repaired by Enzyme-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (EICP)

As an emerging repair method, the enzyme-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) technique has the advantages of being highly economical, eco-friendly, and durable. The optimal repair conditions were obtained by taking cement mortar as the research object, adding two types of filling medium, using three EICP-based repair methods to repair the cement mortar with different crack widths, and combining ultrasonic testing and strength testing to evaluate the mechanical properties and repair effects of the repair mortar. The microscopic structure of the mortar was established using mesoscopic and microscopic tests (XRD, SEM, and EDS), thereby revealing the mechanism of repair based on EICP. The test results show that, when quartz sand is used as the repair medium, more calcium carbonate adheres to the cross-section of test samples, and it has a better repair effect. Moreover, the repair effect of the injection method is significantly higher than those of the perfusion and immersion methods, and the ultrasonic wave transit time decreases by 1.22% on average. Based on the combination of quartz sand and EICP repair methods, the calcium carbonate precipitated among the sand granules contributes to a binding effect that strengthens the cohesive force among the sand granules.

Effect of biopolymer chitosan on manganese immobilization improvement by microbial‑induced carbonate precipitation

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), as an eco-friendly and promising technology that can transform free metal ions into stable precipitation, has been extensively used in remediation of heavy metal contamination. However, its depressed efficiency of heavy metal elimination remains in question due to the inhibition effect of heavy metal toxicity on bacterial activity. In this work, an efficient, low-cost manganese (Mn) elimination strategy by coupling MICP with chitosan biopolymer as an additive with reduced treatment time was suggested, optimized, and implemented. The influences of chitosan at different concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.30 %, w/v) on bacterial growth, enzyme activity, Mn removal efficiency and microstructure properties of the resulting precipitation were investigated. Results showed that Mn content was reduced by 94.5 % within 12 h with 0.15 % chitosan addition through adsorption and biomineralization as MnCO3 (at an initial Mn concentration of 3 mM), demonstrating a two-thirds decrease in remediation time compared to the chitosan-absent system, whereas maximum urease activity increased by ∼50 %. Microstructure analyses indicated that the mineralized precipitates were spherical-shaped MnCO3, and a smaller size and more uniform distribution of MnCO3 is obtained by the regulation of abundant amino and hydroxyl groups in chitosan. These results demonstrate that chitosan accelerates nucleation and tunes the growth of MnCO3 by providing nucleation sites for mineral formation and alleviating the toxicity of metal ions, which has the potential to upgrade MICP process in a sustainable and effective manner. This work provides a reference for further understanding of the biomineralization regulation mechanism, and gives a new perspective into the application of biopolymer-intensified strategies of MICP technology in heavy metal contamination.

The Cd immobilization mechanisms in paddy soil through ureolysis-based microbial induced carbonate precipitation: Emphasis on the coexisting cations and metatranscriptome analysis

Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) can immobilize metals and reduce their bioavailability. However, little is known about the immobilization mechanism of Cd in the presence of soil cations and the triggered gene expression and metabolic pathways in paddy soil. Thus, microcosmic experiments were conducted to study the fractionation transformation of Cd and metatranscriptome analysis. Results showed that bioavailable Cd decreased from 0.62 to 0.29 mg/kg after 330 d due to the MICP immobilization. This was ascribed to the increase in carbonate bound, Fe-Mn oxides bound, and residual Cd. The underlying immobilization mechanisms could be attributed to the formation of insoluble Cd-containing precipitates, the complexation and lattice substitution with carbonate and Fe, Mn and Al (hydr)oxides, and the adsorption on functional group on extracellular polymers of cell. During the MICP immobilization process, up-regulated differential expression urease genes were significantly enriched in the paddy soil, corresponding to the arginine biosynthesis, purine metabolism and atrazine degradation. The metabolic pathway of bacterial chemotaxis, flagellum assembly, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis and the expression of cadA gene related to Cd excretion enhanced Cd resistance of soil microbiome. Therefore, this study provided new insights into the immobilization mechanisms of Cd in paddy soils through ureolysis-based MICP process.

Biological roles of soil microbial consortium on promoting safe crop production in heavy metal(loid) contaminated soil: A systematic review

Heavy metal(loid) (HM) pollution of agricultural soils is a growing global environmental concern that affects planetary health. Numerous studies have shown that soil microbial consortia can inhibit the accumulation of HMs in crops. However, our current understanding of the effects and mechanisms of inhibition is fragmented. In this review, we summarise extant studies and knowledge to provide a comprehensive view of HM toxicity on crop growth and development at the biological, cellular and the molecular levels. In a meta-analysis, we find that microbial consortia can improve crop resistance and reduce HM uptake, which in turn promotes healthy crop growth, demonstrating that microbial consortia are more effective than single microorganisms. We then review three main mechanisms by which microbial consortia reduce the toxicity of HMs to crops and inhibit HMs accumulation in crops: 1) reducing the bioavailability of HMs in soil (e.g. biosorption, bioaccumulation and biotransformation); 2) improving crop resistance to HMs (e.g. facilitating the absorption of nutrients); and 3) synergistic effects between microorganisms. Finally, we discuss the prospects of microbial consortium applications in simultaneous crop safety production and soil remediation, indicating that they play a key role in sustainable agricultural development, and conclude by identifying research challenges and future directions for the microbial consortium to promote safe crop production.

Potential applications of extremophilic bacteria in the bioremediation of extreme environments contaminated with heavy metals

Protecting the environment from harmful pollutants has become increasingly difficult in recent decades. The presence of heavy metal (HM) pollution poses a serious environmental hazard that requires intricate attention on a worldwide scale. Even at low concentrations, HMs have the potential to induce deleterious health effects in both humans and other living organisms. Therefore, various strategies have been proposed to address this issue, with extremophiles being a promising solution. Bacteria that exhibit resistance to metals are preferred for applications involving metal removal due to their capacity for rapid multiplication and growth. Extremophiles are a special group of microorganisms that are capable of surviving under extreme conditions such as extreme temperatures, pH levels, and high salt concentrations where other organisms cannot. Due to their unique enzymes and adaptive capabilities, extremophiles are well suited as catalysts for environmental biotechnology applications, including the bioremediation of HMs through various strategies. The mechanisms of resistance to HMs by extremophilic bacteria encompass: (i) metal exclusion by permeability barrier; (ii) extracellular metal sequestration by protein/chelator binding; (iii) intracellular sequestration of the metal by protein/chelator binding; (iv) enzymatic detoxification of a metal to a less toxic form; (v) active transport of HMs; (vi) passive tolerance; (vii) reduced metal sensitivity of cellular targets to metal ions; and (viii) morphological change of cells. This review provides comprehensive information on extremophilic bacteria and their potential roles for bioremediation, particularly in environments contaminated with HMs, which pose a threat due to their stability and persistence. Genetic engineering of extremophilic bacteria in stressed environments could help in the bioremediation of contaminated sites. Due to their unique characteristics, these organisms and their enzymes are expected to bridge the gap between biological and chemical industrial processes. However, the structure and biochemical properties of extremophilic bacteria, along with any possible long-term effects of their applications, need to be investigated further.

Microbial induced carbonate precipitation for remediation of heavy metals, ions and radioactive elements: A comprehensive exploration of prospective applications in water and soil treatment

Improper disposal practices have caused environmental disruptions, possessing by heavy metal ions and radioactive elements in water and soil, where the innovative and sustainable remediation strategies are significantly imperative in last few decades. Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a pioneering technology for remediating contaminated soil and water. Generally, MICP employs urease-producing microorganisms to decompose urea (NH2CONH2) into ammonium (NH4+and carbon dioxide (CO2), thereby increasing pH levels and inducing carbonate precipitation (CO32-), and effectively removing remove contaminants. Nonetheless, the intricate mechanism underlying heavy metal mineralization poses a significant challenge, constraining its application in contaminants engineering, particularly in the context of prolonged heavy metal leaching over time and its efficacy in adverse environmental conditions. This review provides a comprehensive idea of recent development of MICP and its application in environmental engineering, examining metabolic pathways, mineral precipitation mechanisms, and environmental factors as well as providing future perspectives for commercial utilization. The use of ureolytic bacteria in MICP demonstrates cost-efficiency, environmental compatibility, and successful pollutant abatement over tradition bioremediation techniques, and bio-synthesis of nanoparticles. limitations such as large-scale application, elevated Ca2+levels in groundwater, and gradual contaminant release need to be overcome. The possible future research directions for MICP technology, emphasizing its potential in conventional remediation, CO2 sequestration, bio-material synthesis, and its role in reducing environmental impact for long-term economic benefits.

Immobilization of Cd2+ in an aqueous environment using a two-step microbial-induced carbonate precipitation method

Previous researches indicate that the potent toxicity of cadmium hinders the efficacy of the microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) process for bioremediation of Cd2+ in aqueous environment. Increasing urea and calcium resource doses, introducing synergists, and utilizing urease-producing consortia can improve bio-immobilization performance of MICP. However, such measures may incur cost increases and/or secondary contamination. This study first verifies the substantial biotoxicity of Cd2+ for urease activity and then analyzes the practical limitation of traditional MICP using Bacillus pasteurii for bioremediation of Cd2+ in an aqueous environment containing 1-40 mM Cd2+ by a series tube tests and numerical simulation. Subsequently, a two-step MICP method, which separates urea hydrolysis and heavy metal precipitation, is introduced in this study to eliminate the inhibitory effect of heavy metal on urease activity. The concentrations of ammonium, Cd2+, and pH were monitored over time. The results indicate that the urease expression in B. pasteurii can be significantly inhibited by Cd2+ particularly at the concentration ranging from 10 to 40 mM, leading to pretty low efficacy of traditional MICP for bioremediation of Cd2+ (Cd2+ removal rate as low as 21.55-38.47% when the initial Cd2+ concentration = 40 mM). In contrast, when the two-step MICP method is applied, the Cd2+ can be almost completely immobilized, even though the concentration ratio of urea to Cd2+ is as low as 1.5:1.0, which is close to the theory minimum concentration ratio for the complete precipitation of carbonate to cadmium ions(1.0:1.0). Therefore, the cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and straightforward two-step MICP method holds great potential for application in the bioremediation of Cd2+-contaminated solutions in high concentration.

Bolivian natural zeolite as a low-cost adsorbent for the adsorption of cadmium: Isotherms and kinetics

Population growth in recent years has led to increased wastewater production and pollution of water resources. This situation also heavily affects Bolivia, so wastewater treatment methods and materials suitable for Bolivian society should be explored. This study investigated the natural Bolivian Zeolite (BZ) and its NaCl-modified structure (NaBZ) as adsorbents for cadmium removal from water. The natural BZ and the modified form NaBZ were investigated by different physicochemical characterization techniques. Furthermore, XPS and FT-IR techniques were used to investigate the adsorption mechanisms. The cadmium adsorption on BZ and NaBZ was analyzed using various mathematical models, and the Langmuir model provided a better description of the experimental adsorption data with cadmium adsorption capacities of 20.2 and 25.6 mg/g for BZ and NaBZ, respectively. The adsorption followed the pseudo-second order kinetics. The effect of different parameters, such as initial cadmium concentration and pH on the adsorption was studied. In addition, the results of the regeneration test indicated that both BZ and NaBZ can be regenerated by using hydrochloric acid (HCl). Finally, the adsorption experiment of BZ and NaBZ on a real water sample (brine from Salar de Uyuni salt flat) containing a mixture of different heavy metals was carried out. The results obtained in this study demonstrate the effectiveness of natural BZ and modified NaBZ in the removal of heavy metals from wastewater.

Applying the first microcapsule-based self-healing microbial-induced calcium carbonate materials to prevent the migration of Pb ions

Lead (Pb) accumulation can lead to serious threats to surrounding environments and damage to the liver and kidneys. In the past few years, microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology has been widely applied to achieve Pb immobilization due to its environmentally friendly nature. However, harsh pH conditions can cause the instability of the carbonate precipitation to degrade or dissolve, increasing the potential of Pb2+ migration into nearby environments. In this study, microcapsule-based self-healing microbial-induced calcium carbonate (MICC) materials were applied to prevent Pb migration. The highest sporulation rate of 95.8% was attained at 7 g/L yeast extract, 10 g/L NH4Cl, and 3.6 g/L Mn2+. In the germination phase, the microcapsule not only prevented the bacterial spores from being threatened by the acid treatment but secured their growth and reproduction. Micro analysis also revealed that cerussite, calcite, and aragonite minerals were present, while extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were identified via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These results confirm their involvement in combining Pb2+ and Ca2+. The immobilization efficiency of above 90% applied to MICC materials was attained, while it of below 5% applied to no MICC use was attained. The findings explore the potential of applying microcapsule-based self-healing MICC materials to prevent Pb ion migration when the calcium carbonate degrades under harsh pH conditions.

Simultaneous removal of ammonia nitrogen, recovery of phosphate, and immobilization of nickel in a polyester fiber with shell powder and iron carbon spheres bioreactor: Optimization and pathways mechanism

Composite pollutants are prevalent in wastewater, whereas, the simultaneous accomplishment of efficient nitrogen removal and resources recovery remains a challenge. In this study, a bioreactor was constructed to contain Pseudomonas sp. Y1 using polyester fiber wrapped with shell powder and iron carbon spheres, achieving ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) removal, phosphate (PO₄^3--P) recovery, and nickel (Ni²⁺) immobilization. The optimal performance of bioreactor was average removal efficiencies of NH₄⁺-N, PO₄^3--P, calcium (Ca²⁺), and Ni²⁺ as 82.42, 96.67, 76.13, and 98.29% at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h, pH of 7.0, and influent Ca²⁺ and Ni²⁺ concentrations of 100.0 and 3.0 mg L^-1, respectively. The bioreactor could remove PO₄^3--P, Ca²⁺, and Ni²⁺ by biomineralization, co-precipitation, adsorption, and lattice substitution. Moreover, microbial community analysis suggested that Pseudomonas was the predominant genus and had possessed tolerance to Ni²⁺ toxicity in wastewater. This study presented an effective method to synchronously remove NH₄⁺-N, recover PO₄^3--P, and fix heavy metals through microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) and heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HNAD) technology.

Investigating immobilization efficiency of Pb in solution and loess soil using bio-inspired carbonate precipitation

Lead (Pb) metal accumulation in surrounding environments can cause serious threats to human health, causing liver and kidney function damage. This work explored the potential of applying the MICP technology to remediate Pb-rich water bodies and Pb-contaminated loess soil sites. In the test tube experiments, the Pb immobilization efficiency of above 85% is attained through PbCO₃ and Pb(CO₃)₂(OH)₂ precipitation. Notwithstanding that, in the loess soil column tests, the Pb immobilization efficiency decreases with the increase in depth and could be as low as approximately 40% in the deep ground. PbCO₃ and Pb(CO₃)₂(OH)₂ precipitation has not been detected as the majority of Pb²⁺ combines with -OH (hydroxyl group) when subjected to 500 mg/kg Pb²⁺. The alkaline front promotes the chemisorption of Pb²⁺ with CO₃^2- reducing the depletion of quartz mineral close to the surface. However, OH^- is in shortage in the deep ground retarding the Pb immobilization. The Pb immobilization efficiency thus decreases with the increase in depth. Quartz and albite minerals, when subjected to 16,000 mg/kg Pb²⁺, appear not to intervene in the chemisorption with Pb²⁺ where the chemisorption of Pb²⁺ with CO₃^2- plays a major role in the Pb immobilization. Compared to the nanoscale urease applied to the enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) technology, the micrometer scale ureolytic bacteria penetrate into the deep ground with difficulty. The 'size' issue remains to be addressed in near future.