An emphasis has been paid on the potential of cyanobacteria in biocementation.
It was also demonstrated that biocementation using the local ureolytic bacteria can improve the strength of poorly graded soils.
In the present review, the role of microbes and their enzymes involved in CO2 sequestration, microbial routes in CaCO3 formation, biocementation, and the effectiveness of MICP in improving durability of building materials is discussed.
The process of artificial biocalcification of sand through ureolysis, otherwise called biocementation can be performed with use of some microorganisms such as, for example Sporosarcina pasteurii (former Bacillus pasteurii).
So, the critical point of biocementation is an introduction of live bacterial cells in environment, which is a risk.
The strain Yaniella sp. VS8 demonstrated a high enough urease activity, so application of its inactivated cells for biocementation was studied.
Bacterial biomass was separated by centrifugation at 4 °C and 10,000 rpm for 10 min using Micro Cooling Centrifuge 5922 (Kubota, Japan), resuspended in NaCl, 2%%, and used for biocementation of sand.
Usually, the strains of Sporosarcina pasteurii, formerly Bacillus pasteurii, are commonly used for biocementation (Bang et al. 2001; Bachmeier et al. 2002; Whiffin 2004; Whiffin et al. 2007; Dupraz et al. 2006; Mortensen and DeJong 2011; Tobler et al. 2014).
Construction of the model pond using sand biocementation comprised with the steps of the formation of the bottom and the walls in sand: sand, 4.5 kg, was placed in the box, and then 4 plastic sheets were fixed into sand for the formation of walls.
Biocementation also reduced the porosity of mortars at all ages.
