Ureolysis-Driven Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation by a Facultatively Anaerobic Thermophilic Bacterium Under High-Temperature and Anaerobic Conditions

Abstract

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is the precipitation of CaCO3 crystals, induced by microbial metabolic activities such as ureolysis. Various applications of MICP have been proposed as innovative biocementation techniques. This study aimed to verify the feasibility of ureolysis-driven MICP applications in deep-subsurface environments (e.g., enhanced oil recovery and geological carbon sequestration). To this end, we screened sludge collected from a high-temperature anaerobic digester for facultatively anaerobic thermophilic bacteria possessing ureolytic activity. Then, we examined the ureolysis-driven MICP using a representative isolate, Bacillus haynesii strain SK1, under aerobic, anoxic, and strict anaerobic conditions at 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C. All cultures showed ureolysis and the formation of insoluble precipitates. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed precipitates comprising CaCO3 at 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C under aerobic conditions but only at 50 °C under anoxic and strict anaerobic conditions, suggesting efficient MICP at 50 °C. Interestingly, an X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that calcium carbonate crystals that were produced under aerobic conditions were in the form of calcite, while those that were produced under anoxic and strict anaerobic conditions at 50 °C were mostly in the form of vaterite. Thus, we demonstrated ureolysis-driven MICP under high-temperature and O2-depletion conditions, suggesting the potential of MICP applications in deep-subsurface environments.