Abstract—
The processes of microbially induced precipitation of calcium carbonates are widespread in natural environments and are an important part of the biogeochemical carbon cycle. These processes comprised the basis of new “biocementation” technologies, which are extensively develo** worldwide during the last decade. These technologies are aimed at designing the novel “self-healing” construction materials, as well as at maintaining the strength of various buildings and structures. Since the optimal conditions for calcite formation are high salinity and alkalinity, the search for calcifying microorganisms in a variety of ecosystems, including extreme ones, is of interest. At present, many strains of halophilic and halotolerant bacteria, that induce calcination, have already been isolated and tested in pilot industrial processes. Most of these bacteria possess urease activity, which is the main contributor to the binding of calcium ions to insoluble carbonate. A wide variety of natural ecosystems with optimal conditions for the development of calcifying urobacteria, as well as the economic demand for biocementation technologies, stimulate interest in the search for more and more novel strains of these microorganisms. One of the promising resources to be screened for such organisms is the ecosystem of the drying Aral Sea and the adjacent desert and semi-desert Aral region. Here we present the results of screening various extreme ecosystems of the Aral region for the presence of calcifying microorganisms. We obtained 28 pure cultures of heterotrophic aerobic bacteria from samples of plant residues and soils of the Aral Sea region, 4 of which had urease and calcifying activities. Their activities were compared with those of the strains presently used to produce biocementing mixtures. We have identified the phylotypes of putative calcifying microorganisms in microbial communities of desert soil, thermal waters, and bottom sediments of a salt lake, and described the phylogenetic diversity of these communities. Our results indicated the wide distribution of calcifying microorganisms in the ecosystems of the South Aral region and highlighted the expediency of screening them for the new biotechnologically relevant strains of these organisms.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1134%2FS0026261723600325/MediaObjects/11021_2023_8425_Fig1_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1134%2FS0026261723600325/MediaObjects/11021_2023_8425_Fig2_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Almajed, A., Lateef, M.A., Moghal, A.A.B., Lemboye, K., State-of-the-art review of the applicability and challenges of microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) and enzyme-induced calcite precipitation (EICP) techniques for geotechnical and geoenvironmental applications, Crystals, 2021, vol. 11, no. 4, p. 370.
Alonso, M.J.C., Ortiz, C.E.L., Perez, S.O.G., Narayanasamy, R., San Miguel, G.D.J.F., Hernández, H.H., and Balagurusamy, N. Improved strength and durability of concrete through metabolic activity of ureolytic bacteria, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 2018, vol. 25, no. 22, pp. 21451−21458.
Arias D., Cisternas, L.A., Miranda, C., and Rivas, M., Bi-oprospecting of ureolytic bacteria from Laguna Salada for biomineralization applications, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 2019, vol. 18, no. 6, p. 209.
Atkinson, D.E., Functional roles of urea synthesis in vertebrates, Physiol. Zool., 1992, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 243−267.
Batyanovskii, E.I., Gurinenko, N.S., and Korsun, A.M., Structure, impermeability, and longevity of cement concrete, Nauka i Tekhnika, 2022, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 19−27.
Chaparro-Acuña S.P., Becerra-Jiménez, M.L., Martínez-Zambrano, J.J., and Rojas-Sarmiento, H.A., Soil bacteria that precipitate calcium carbonate: mechanism and applications of the process, Acta Agronomica, 2020, vol. 67, pp. 277–288.
Davidyuk, A.A., Rybnov, D.S., Goglev, I.N., Sokolov, K.Yu., and Kustikova, O.Yu., Mathematical modeling of mass transfer dynamics during corrosion of cement concretes, Prom. Grazd. Stroit., 2021, no. 2, pp. 34−41.
Davletmuratova, V.B., Diversity of the processes of desertification and halophytization of natural vegetation in Amu Darya delta and lower reach, Ekonomika i Sotsium, 2017, vol. 37, no. 6-1, pp. 519−522.
DeJong, J.T., Biogeochemical processes and geotechnical applications: progress, opportunities and challenge, in Geotechnique, DeJong, J.T., Soga, K., Kavazanjian, E., Burns, S., van Paassen, L.A., and Qabany, A., Eds., 2013, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 287–301.
Ekprasert, J., Fongkaew, I., Chainakun, P., Kamngam, R., and Boonsuan, W., Investigating mechanical properties and biocement application of CaCO3 precipitated by a newly-isolated Lysinibacillus sp. WH using artificial neural networks, Sci. Rep., 2020, vol. 10, p. 16137. Frankel, R.B. and Bazylinski, D.A., Biologically induced mineralization by bacteria, Rev. Mineral. Geochem., 2003, vol. 54, pp. 95–114.
Galinski, E.A. and Trüper, H.G., Microbial behaviour in saltstressed ecosystems, FEMS Microbiol. Rev., 1994, vol. 15, pp. 95–108.
Garabito, M.J., Márquez, M.C., and Ventosa, A., Halotolerant Bacillus diversity in hypersaline environments, Canad. J. Microbiol., 1998, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 95−102.
Gavrilov, S.N., Potapov, E.G., Prokof’eva, M.I., Klyukina, A.A., Merkel, A.Yu., Maslov, A.A., and Zavarzina, D.G., Diversity of novel uncultured prokaryotes in microbial communities of the Yessentukskoye underground mineral water deposit, Microbiology (Moscow), 2022, vol. 91, no. 1, pp. 28–44.
Jebbar, M., Ectoine functions as an osmoprotectant in Bacillus subtilis and is accumulated via the ABC-transport system OpuC, FEMS Microbiol. Let., 1997, vol. 154, no. 2, pp. 325–330.
Joshi, S., Goyal, S., and Reddy, M.S., Influence of biogenic treatment in improving the durability properties of waste amended concrete: a review, Constr. Build. Mater., 2020, vol. 263, p. 120170.
Joshi, S., Goyal, S., Mukherjee, A., and Reddy, M.S., Microbial healing of cracks in concrete: a review, J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 2017, vol. 44, no. 11, pp. 1511−1525.
Kalenov, S.V., Belov, A.A., Lyapkin, E.I., Sachavskii, A.A., and Panfilov, V.I., Problems of non-sterile cultivation of extremely halophilic microorganisms, International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference: SGEM, 2020, vol. 20, no. 6.2, pp. 105−112.
Kalenov, S.V., Gradova, N.B., Sivkov, S.P., Agalakova, E.V., Belov, A.A., Suyasov, N.A., Khokhlachev, N.S., and Panfilov, V.I., A preparation for improvement of the functional and protective characteristics of concrete based on bacteria isolated from hypersaline lakes, Biotekhnologiya, 2020, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 21–28.
Karplus, P.A., Pearson, M.A., and Hausinger, R.P., 70 Years of crystalline urease: what have we learned?, Acc. Chem. Res., 1997, vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 330–337.
Leeprasert, L., Chonudomkul, D., and Boonmak, C., Biocalcifying potential of ureolytic bacteria isolated from soil for biocementation and material crack repair, Microorganisms, 2022, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 963.
Micklin, P., The Aral Sea disaster, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 2007, vol. 35, pp. 47−72.
Mutitu, K.D., Munyao, M.O., Wachira, M.J., Mwirichia, R., Thiong’o, K.J., and Marangu, M.J., Effects of biocementation on some properties of cement-based materials incorporating Bacillus species bacteria–a review, J. Sustain. Cem., 2019, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 309−325.
Omoregie, A.I., Palombo, E.A., and Nissom, P.M., Bioprecipitation of calcium carbonate mediated by ureolysis: a review, Environ. Engineer. Res., 2021, vol. 26, no. 6, p. 200379.
Osinubi, K.J., Eberemu, A.O., Ijimdiya, T.S., Yakubu, S.E., Gadzama, E.W., Sani, J.E., and Yohanna, P., Review of the use of microorganisms in geotechnical engineering applications, SN Appl. Sci., 2020, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1−19.
Pacheco, V.L., Bragagnolo, L., Reginatto, C., and Thomé, A., Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP): review from an engineering perspective, Geotech. Geol. Eng., 2022, vol. 40, pp. 2379–2396.
Panosyan, H., Hakobyan, A., Birkeland, N.K., and T-rchounian, A., Bacilli community of saline–alkaline soils from the Ararat Plain (Armenia) assessed by molecular and culture-based methods, Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 2018, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 232−240.
Vahabi, A., Ramezanianpour, A., Sharafi, H., Zahiri, H., Vali, H., and Noghabi, K., Calcium carbonate precipitation by strain Bacillus licheniformis AK01, newly isolated from loamy soil: a promising alternative for sealing cement-based materials, J. Basic Microbiol., 2015, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 105−111.
Ventosa, A., Márquez, M.C., Garabito, M.J., and Arahal, D.R., Moderately halophilic Gram-positive bacterial diversity in hypersaline environments, Extremophiles, 1998, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 297‒304.
Zav’yalov, P.O.. et al., Eds. Bol’shoe Aral’skoe more v nachale XXI veka: fizika, biologiya, khimiya (Big Aral Sea in the Early 21st Century: Physics, Biology, Chemistry), Moscow: Nauka, 2012.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to A.I. Kulonov and Zh.E. Alimov for their help in the sampling.
Funding
The main work was supported by the A-FA-2021-428 project “Microbial Communities of the Modern Aral and Near-Aral Zones: Diversity, Properties, and Biotechnological Potential.” Analysis of the sequencing results was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Translated by P. Sigalevich
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kondrasheva, K.V., Umruzokov, A.A., Kalenov, S.V. et al. Calcinating Bacteria in Extreme Ecosystems of the Southern Aral Region. Microbiology 92, 473–480 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261723600325
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261723600325