Determination of the limiting step in the biomineralization of calcium carbonate by Bacillus cereus

Cement is the most widely used material in the world. However, a lack of maintenance of concrete structures increases the collapse danger. Against this situation, studies to recover structures are developed using biomineralizing bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine the limiting step in a prototype Cascade System for Biomineralization in Cement (CSBC) comparing crystallization to biochemical reaction by Bacillus cereus. The similar conditions of crystallization and bioreaction indicated that crystallization is the limiting step, with a carbonate production rate of 0.19 mg/h. The results obtained indicated an eco-friendly option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.