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Minerals
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Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization
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Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomineralization and Biominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 7509

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hiromi Konishi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geology, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Interests: biominerals; nanominerals; mineral defects; transmission electron microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although it is well established that microorganisms play important roles in geological systems, the variety of microbial biomineralization, the function of microorganisms in the mineralization, and the mechanism of mineral formation require further investigation. Non-living organic substances, such as dead cells, also mediate mineral formation which is called organimineralization. How non-living organic substances are involved in mineral formation is not well understood. We focus on the variety of microbial biomineralization and organimineralization, structure, chemistry, and crystallography of biominerals, and the formation mechanism of microbial biominerals.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute your work to this Special Issue entitled “Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization”. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: (1) Microbially controlled or induced biomineralization; (2) Organimineralization which is mediated by organic substances, but not directly produced by living organisms; (3) Microbial reduction and oxidation; (4) Bioremediation; (5) Biomining; (6) Metal transformation and concentration in natural environments, and ore deposit by microorganisms; (7) Global biogeochemical cycling of elements; (8) Carbonate deposition and carbon sink; and (9) Biosynthesis of nanoparticles by microorganisms.

Prof. Dr. Hiromi Konishi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomineralization
  • organimineralization
  • bioremediation
  • biomining
  • biosynthesis
  • microbial oxidation and reduction
  • nanoparticles

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7350 KiB  
Article
Inhibitory Effects of Polysaccharides on the Dolomitization Reaction of Calcite at 200 °C
by Yang Wei and Hiromi Konishi
Minerals 2024, 14(7), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14070721 - 18 Jul 2024
Viewed by 471
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of dissolved carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and agar on the dolomitization reaction of calcite at 200 °C. Previous studies have suggested that CMC and agar promote dolomite precipitation at room temperature. However, this study found that their decomposition products [...] Read more.
This study investigates the impact of dissolved carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and agar on the dolomitization reaction of calcite at 200 °C. Previous studies have suggested that CMC and agar promote dolomite precipitation at room temperature. However, this study found that their decomposition products hinder the reaction at 200 °C, with uncertainty about their role at other temperatures. The inhibitory effect of the decomposition products could be attributed to their adsorption onto calcite surfaces, which hinders their dissolution. This results in a longer reaction induction period and replacement period. Regression analysis demonstrates that the 0.1 g/L agar and 0.2 g/L CMC series decrease the cation ordering rate of dolomite produced from synthetic calcite when compared with series without polysaccharides. In contrast, the 0.1 g/L CMC series shows a slight increase in the cation ordering rate compared with series without polysaccharides. The findings of this study suggest a notable potential impact of the decomposition products of polysaccharides on the ordering of dolomite, although it is uncertain whether they inhibit this ordering process. The inhibitory effect observed in the decomposition products of CMC and agar could also exist in the decomposition products of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and bacteria cell walls found in sedimentary rocks during burial diagenesis. Therefore, further research is necessary to understand the role of EPS and bacteria cell walls in dolomitization, since their impact is not always predictable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization)
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22 pages, 10040 KiB  
Article
Bacteria-Driven Fossil Ecosystems as Paleoindicators of Active Continental Margins and the Role of Carbonate Sediment-Hosted Vents in Geodynamic Reconstructions
by László Bujtor, Ildikó Gyollai, Máté Szabó, Ivett Kovács and Márta Polgári
Minerals 2024, 14(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14020125 - 24 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1166
Abstract
Continental rifting of the Tisza microplate started during the Late Jurassic and resulted in phreatic eruptions, peperite, and the construction of a volcanic edifice in the Early Cretaceous in the Mecsek Mountains (South Hungary). In the SE direction from the volcanic edifice at [...] Read more.
Continental rifting of the Tisza microplate started during the Late Jurassic and resulted in phreatic eruptions, peperite, and the construction of a volcanic edifice in the Early Cretaceous in the Mecsek Mountains (South Hungary). In the SE direction from the volcanic edifice at Zengővárkony, a shallow marine (depth 100–200 m) carbonate sediment hosted a vent environment, and iron ore deposition occurred at the end of the Valanginian to early Hauterivian, hosting a diverse, endemic fauna of approximately 60 species. The detailed mineralogical analysis of the transport conduits included Fe oxides (ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite, and magnetite), quartz, mixed carbonate, pyrite, feldspar, Fe-bearing clay minerals, apatite, sulfates (barite, gypsum, and jarosite), and native sulfur. Filamentous, microbially mediated microtextures with inner sequented, necklace-like spheric forms (diameter of 1 μm) and bacterial laminae are also observed inside decapod crustacean coprolites (Palaxius tetraochetarius) and in the rock matrix. This complex ecological and mineralogical analysis provided direct evidence for the presence of bacteria in fossil sediment-hosted vent (SHV) environments on the one hand and for the intimate connection between bacteria and decapod crustaceans in hydrothermal environments 135 Ma before. This observation completes the fossil food chain of chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, from primary producers to the top carnivores reported for the first time from this locality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization)
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17 pages, 14676 KiB  
Article
Authigenic Mineral Formation in Aquifers near the Uranium Sludge Storage Facility of Chepetsky Mechanical Plant during the Formation of a Biogeochemical Barrier in a Laboratory and Field Experiment
by Grigory Artemiev and Alexey Safonov
Minerals 2023, 13(10), 1319; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101319 - 12 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1049
Abstract
In this work, authigenic microbial mineral formation in groundwater near the uranium sludge storage at SC Chepetsky Mechanical Plant (ChMP) (Glazov, Russia) was analysed in field and laboratory experiments using thermodynamic modelling when the microbial community was activated by a mixture of acetate, [...] Read more.
In this work, authigenic microbial mineral formation in groundwater near the uranium sludge storage at SC Chepetsky Mechanical Plant (ChMP) (Glazov, Russia) was analysed in field and laboratory experiments using thermodynamic modelling when the microbial community was activated by a mixture of acetate, glucose and whey. It was found that the mineral basis of the barrier consisted of aggregated soil particles with freshly deposited phases of carbonate and sulphide minerals of different degrees of crystallinity. An important factor in the formation of calcium phases is microbial denitrification, which is accompanied by an increase in pH values of the medium. The main factors of uranium immobilisation in the biogeochemical barrier were revealed, including its reduction to insoluble forms of uranium dioxide, adsorption on ferrous and sulphide-ferrous minerals, as well as the formation of phosphate phases through the addition of phosphorus-containing whey and co-precipitation or co-crystallisation in calcite phases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization)
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13 pages, 1707 KiB  
Article
Saprotrophic Fungus Induces Microscale Mineral Weathering to Source Potassium in a Carbon-Limited Environment
by Jocelyn A. Richardson, Christopher R. Anderton and Arunima Bhattacharjee
Minerals 2023, 13(5), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13050641 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2164
Abstract
Plants rely on potassium for many critical biological processes, but most soils are potassium limited. Moving potassium from the inaccessible, mineral-bound pool to a more bioavailable form is crucial for sustainably increasing local potassium concentrations for plant growth and health. Here, we use [...] Read more.
Plants rely on potassium for many critical biological processes, but most soils are potassium limited. Moving potassium from the inaccessible, mineral-bound pool to a more bioavailable form is crucial for sustainably increasing local potassium concentrations for plant growth and health. Here, we use a synthetic soil habitat (mineral doped micromodels) to study and directly visualize how the saprotrophic fungus, Fusarium sp. DS 682, weathers K-rich soil minerals. After 30 days of fungal growth, both montmorillonite and illite (secondary clays) had formed as surface coatings on primary K-feldspar, biotite, and kaolinite grains. The distribution of montmorillonite differed depending on the proximity to a carbon source, where montmorillonite was found to be associated with K-feldspar closer to the carbon (C) source, which the fungus was inoculated on, but associated with biotite at greater distances from the C source. The distribution of secondary clays is likely due to a change in the type of fungal exuded organic acids; from citric to tartaric acid dominated production with increasing distance from the C source. Thus, the main control on the ability of Fusarium sp. DS 682 to weather K-feldspar is proximity to a C source to produce citric acid via the TCA cycle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization)
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13 pages, 5987 KiB  
Article
Co-Precipitation of Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Carbonates Using Vibrio harveyi Strain Isolated from Mediterranean Sea Sediment
by Mazhar Ali Jarwar, Pablo Del Buey, M. Esther Sanz-Montero, Stefano Dumontet, Elena Chianese and Vincenzo Pasquale
Minerals 2023, 13(5), 627; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13050627 - 29 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1817
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination is listed among the most alarming threats to the environment and human health. The detrimental effects of heavy metals in the natural environment span from a reduction of biodiversity to toxic effects on marine life—through microplastic born heavy metals, to [...] Read more.
Heavy metal contamination is listed among the most alarming threats to the environment and human health. The detrimental effects of heavy metals in the natural environment span from a reduction of biodiversity to toxic effects on marine life—through microplastic born heavy metals, to impairment of microbial activity in the soil, and to detrimental effects on animal reproduction. A host of different chemical and biological technologies have been proposed to alleviate environmental contamination by heavy metals. Relatively less attention has been paid to the microbial precipitation of heavy metals, as a side mechanism of the most general process of microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP). This process is currently receiving a great deal of interest from both a theoretical and practical standpoint, because of its possible practical applications in concrete healing and soil consolidation, and its importance in the more general framework of microbial induced mineral precipitation. In this study, we analyse the ability of the marine bacteria Vibrio harveyi in co-precipitating CaCO3 minerals, together with Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn added in form of nitrates, from solutions containing CaCl2. The precipitated carbonatic minerals were a function of the different heavy metals present in the solution. The process of co-precipitation appears to be rather effective and fast, as the concentrations of the 4 heavy metals were reduced in 2 days by 97.2%, on average, in the solutions. This bioremediation technology could be used as environmental friendly procedure to de-contaminate suitable environmental matrices. The high performance of this process makes it particularly interesting for an upscaling from lab to field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biomineralization and Organimineralization)
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