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Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Microbiologically Induced Calcite Precipitation Mediated by Sporosarcina pasteurii
Published on: April 16, 2016
Density-dependent microbial calcium carbonate precipitation by drinking water bacteria via amino acid metabolism and
Xiaoxia Liu1, Gernot Zarfel2, Renata van der Weijden3
1Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
Drinking water plumbing systems appear to be a unique environment for microorganisms as they contain few nutrients but a high mineral concentration. Interactions between mineral content and bacteria, such as microbial calcium carbonate precipitation (MCP) however, has not yet attracted too much attention in drinking water sector. This study aims to carefully examine MCP behavior of two drinking water bacteria species, which may potentially link scaling and biofouling processes in drinking water distribution systems. Evidence from cell density evolution, chemical parameters, and microscopy suggest that drinking water isolates can mediate CaCO3 precipitation through previously overlooked MCP mechanisms like ammonification or biosorption. The results also illustrate the active control of bacteria on the MCP process, as the calcium starts to concentrate onto cell surfaces only after reaching a certain cell density, even though the cell surfaces are shown to be the ideal location for the CaCO3 nucleation.
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