Dec 2, 2024
11:30am - 12:00pm
Hynes, Level 3, Room 313
Shu Yang1,Hannah Clarkson1,Sophia Jackson1
University of Pennsylvania1
Shu Yang1,Hannah Clarkson1,Sophia Jackson1
University of Pennsylvania1
Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) of calcium carbonate (CaCO<sub>3</sub>), the main ingredient of concrete or biocement, offers a carbon neutral or carbon negative route to create environmentally friendly and CO<sub>2</sub> capturing biocement. However, typical MICP process is slow and obtained CaCO<sub>3 </sub>has different polymorphs. To enhance the growth of bacteria and its colonization and carbonation efficiency, while controlling the polymorphs of CaCO<sub>3</sub>, we exploit the use of 3D printed minimal surfaces coated with biocompatible hydrogels as templates to immobilize <i>non-pathogenic</i> ureolytic bacteria genus <i>S. pasteurii </i>and photosynthetic cyanobacteria, respectively<i>.</i> We show that the amount of CaCO<sub>3</sub> crystals deposited on the 3D templates are an order of magnitude more than those deposited on a conventional agar gel in a petri dish. Inclusion of nanoporous materials that can capture CO<sub>2 </sub>in bacteria growth medium further enhances bacteria growth and precipitation of CaCO<sub>3</sub>.