Regulating the Process of Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation through Applied Electric Fields: Evidence and Insights Using Microfluidics
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 10
Abstract
Nonuniform cementation challenges may arise when employing microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology to treat problematic soils. Electrokinetic methods exhibit the potential to regulate the MICP process by driving negatively charged urease-producing bacteria and promoting the migration of reactant ions. However, the current understanding of bacterial behavior and the characteristics of precipitates under the influence of direct current (DC) electric fields remains unclear. In this study, we designed and fabricated microfluidic chips to simulate sandy soil matrices. By monitoring the real-time MICP reaction process in the microfluidic porous medium with and without a DC electric field through an optical microscope, we analyzed the impact of the electric field on the behavior of bacteria at different locations (i.e., attached and suspended bacteria) and on the morphology and distribution of crystals. Results show that initially injected bacteria adhered to the inner pore surfaces due to interfacial cohesion, whereas subsequently injected bacteria were predominantly suspended in the pore solution and driven toward the anode by the electric field, where they aggregated. Furthermore, the majority of precipitated near the cathode, resulting in larger-sized crystals, and a smaller quantity of precipitated at the anode, generating smaller-sized crystal particles. This observation highlights the crucial role of movement in determining the distribution of . Under the influence of a DC electric field, the final precipitated crystals exhibit nonuniform sizes, with an overall smaller average size and more complex crystal morphologies. Our results provide the underlying insights to guide the regulation of the MICP process through applied electric fields.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41925012 and 42230710), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFC3707900), Key Task Project for Joint Research and Development of the Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Innovation Community (Grant No. 2022CSJGG1200), and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20211087).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 10 • October 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 30, 2023
Accepted: May 6, 2024
Published online: Jul 25, 2024
Published in print: Oct 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 25, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- [Inorganic compounds]
- Bacteria
- Calcium
- Calcium carbonate
- Chemical compounds
- Chemical elements
- Chemicals
- Chemistry
- Climates
- Electric power
- Energy engineering
- Environmental engineering
- Meteorology
- Microbes
- Organic compounds
- Organic compounds
- Organisms
- Pollutants
- Pollution
- Power transmission
- Precipitation
- Soil pollution
- Soil treatment
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