College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-06 08:34:07
Major
Biology
Honors Course
BIOL-499
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2023
Abstract
Particulate calcium carbonate (PCC) is an important filler in industrial products, including paints, which are obtained through mining and sintering (heating to 1,100°C), which is responsible for up to 2% of global emissions. A potential solution to reduce these emissions is the use of calcium carbonate produced by bacteria from atmospheric , through a process called microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP). One of the primary uses of PCCs is in paint, requiring them to be a specific size (~700nm). When we have been collecting samples of PCCs produced by bacteria, which demonstrate clumping, making them too large for use in paint. I wanted to see if this was occurring in actively growing cells or if this was the result of centrifugation to collect the PCCs. To test this, I used dynamic light scattering (DLS). My data demonstrated that DLS allows us to view the PCCs as they accumulate in culture, with large particles forming in solution, suggesting clumping was occurring. To see if I could prevent this, I began looking at surfactants to see if they might prevent the PCCs from creating aggregates. The data suggested that the interactions of cells with particulates in culture is complicated and must be resolved prior to the commercialization of MICP in industrial filler production, but DLS is an effective method to examine PCC production in culture.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Hazel Barton
First Reader
Dr. John Senko
Second Reader
Dr. Weinan Xu
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Brian Bagatto
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Recommended Citation
Manning, Isabella, "The Use of Dynamic Light Scattering to Determine Mineral Precipitation in Bacteria." (2023). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1651.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1651