Academic Journal
Calcium sulphate-based soybean salting-out urease purification for enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation in road base stabilisation.
| Title: | Calcium sulphate-based soybean salting-out urease purification for enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation in road base stabilisation. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Lemboye K; School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia. kehinde.lemboye@postgrad.curtin.edu.au., Shahin MA; School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia., Cheng L; School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China., Abdullah HH; School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia., Dubey AA; School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia., Arab M; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE., Kodikara J; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, Australia. |
| Source: | Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2026 Apr 02; Vol. 16 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 02. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011- |
| MeSH Terms: | Urease*/isolation & purification , Urease*/chemistry , Urease*/metabolism , Glycine max*/enzymology , Glycine max*/chemistry , Calcium Carbonate*/chemistry , Calcium Sulfate*/chemistry, Chemical Precipitation ; Construction Materials ; X-Ray Diffraction ; Compressive Strength |
| Abstract: | Plant-based biocementation via enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) presents a promising alternative to conventional soil stabilisation. Crude urease extracted from soybeans contains substantial organic matter, which can reduce its effectiveness for soil stabilisation. This study investigates the extraction and purification of soybean urease for stabilising crushed rock base (CRB) material in road construction. A calcium sulphate (CaSO₄) salting-out method was proposed and compared with conventional purification techniques, including filtration and centrifugation, in terms of organic matter removal, turbidity reduction and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) precipitation behaviour. The purified enzyme was subsequently applied to CRB under varying soybean concentrations, cementation solution (CS) concentrations, and treatment cycles. Mechanical performance of CRB-treated samples was assessed using unconfined compressive strength (UCS) testing, while microstructural characteristics were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results show that CaSO₄ salting-out effectively removes excess organic matter while maintaining enzymatic activity for EICP, enabling enzyme recovery without energy-intensive centrifugation at practical soybean concentrations. Although the CaSO₄ salting-out enzyme produced lower total CaCO₃ mass than less-refined extracts, it achieved more uniform precipitation and improved strength efficiency per unit of CaCO₃. The controlled addition of skim milk further enhanced the compressive strength without affecting urea conversion. SEM revealed irregular and spherical CaCO₃ particles from all urease extracts, while skim milk addition promoted spherical deposition around and in between the CRB particles. XRD confirmed calcite as the main phase governing strength development. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Biocementation; Crushed rock base; Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP); Purification; Road construction |
| Substance Nomenclature: | EC 3.5.1.5 (Urease) H0G9379FGK (Calcium Carbonate) WAT0DDB505 (Calcium Sulfate) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260402 Date Completed: 20260714 Latest Revision: 20260813 |
| Update Code: | 20260813 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13187142 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-026-45356-w |
| PMID: | 41927729 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
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| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-026-45356-w |