ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INDIGENOUS SOIL BACTERIA FOR SUSTAINABLE SELF-HEALING CONCRETE VIA MICROBIALLY INDUCED CALCITE PRECIPITATION

JAMSHAID; F SHIREEN; MS KHALIL; F HABIB; S YILMAZ; A AZIZ; S KHAN

doi:10.64013/bbasr.v2026i1.134

Authors

JAMSHAID Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
F SHIREEN School of Allied Health Sciences, Iqra National University Peshawar, Pakistan
MS KHALIL Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
F HABIB School of Pharmacy, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
S YILMAZ Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
A AZIZ Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
S KHAN School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64013/bbasr.v2026i1.134

Keywords:

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation, bio-concrete, urease-positive bacteria, Bacillus cereus, calcium carbonate, SEM, self-healing concrete

Abstract

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is a revolutionary bio-mineralization technology that has great potential for sustainable construction applications. The present study isolated, identified, characterized, and evaluated the potential calcium carbonate precipitation-producing positive bacteria from agricultural soils of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and their potential for concrete crack healing. Three bacterial isolates with the highest urease activity were isolated from three different agricultural soil samples: Bacillus cereus (580 U/mL, Day 4), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (525 U/mL, Day 6), and Staphylococcus aureus (515U/mL, Day 6). All isolates were identified by Gram staining, biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA sequencing. CaCO₃ precipitation was induced in vitro by introducing cultures to nutrient broth containing 3% urea and 24 mM CaCl₂ at pH 9.0. Physicochemical analysis of soil showed an alkaline reaction in pH (8.66–8.67), which is favorable for the growth of ureolytic bacteria, loamy to silt texture, and moisture content (29.33 to 31.51%). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) characterization of precipitates showed the polymorphic crystal forms of CaCO₃, such as irregular cubic (calcite), rod-like (aragonite) and spherical (vaterite) morphologies. The sizes were confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and were found to be between 2–5 µm. The characteristic absorption bands of calcite, aragonite and vaterite were identified using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) at 874.41 cm^-1, 1022.16 cm^-1 and 1627.90 cm^-1, respectively. The elemental composition of calcium, carbon, and oxygen was confirmed using Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The results confirm the potential use of the isolated local soil bacteria as an eco-friendly biological alternative for the bio-concrete industry using the MICP process for construction repair applications, which are expensive and unsustainable.

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