Academic Journal
Fundamental study on the germination, revival of urease activity, and bio-deposition behaviors of Bacillus sphaericus spores for microbial self-healing concrete.
| Title: | Fundamental study on the germination, revival of urease activity, and bio-deposition behaviors of Bacillus sphaericus spores for microbial self-healing concrete. |
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| Authors: | Hou F; Department of Civil Engineering, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China., Shen D; Department of Civil Engineering, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China; General Contracting and Operation Branch, China Communications Construction Corporation, Beijing, 100088, China., Wang J; Department of Civil Engineering, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China. Electronic address: jianyun.wang@xjtu.edu.cn. |
| Source: | Environmental research [Environ Res] 2026 Sep 01; Vol. 305 (Pt 2), pp. 125075. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 17. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0147621 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1096-0953 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00139351 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Environ Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2000- > : Amsterdam : Elsevier Original Publication: New York, Academic Press. |
| MeSH Terms: | Bacillus*/enzymology , Bacillus*/physiology , Urease*/metabolism , Spores, Bacterial*/physiology , Spores, Bacterial*/enzymology , Construction Materials*/microbiology, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Temperature ; Bacillaceae |
| Abstract: | Microbial self-healing concrete is an efficient and environmentally friendly technology for enhancing crack repair and durability. However, the initiation and the relationships for spore germination, revival of urease activity and bio-deposition remain unclear, particularly the time interval and synchronization among these processes. This leads to the difficulty in regulating the bio-deposition rate and affects the prediction of product distribution within the cracks. Therefore, to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the microbial self-healing concrete process, an urease-producing bacteria self-healing concrete process of Bacillus sphaericus LMG 22257 was systematically investigated. Results showed that the revival of urease activity was behind (approximately 5-24 h) spore germination, while the revival of urease activity occurred almost simultaneously with the bio-deposition process. The inhibitory effect of high alkalinity (pH 12) and low temperature (10°C) was potentially reversible. When environmental conditions were adjusted to the appropriate range (pH 9 or 28°C), the spores can rapidly regain their activity and restart the bio-deposition process (within 72 h). In contrast, an appropriate concentration of urea (75-900 mM) can significantly accelerate the spore germination. By regulating pH and urea concentration in the crack, the lag phase of spore germination could be shortened, thereby the self-healing efficiency could be enhanced. This discovery provides new regulatory insights and theoretical support for microbial self-healing concrete. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Bio-deposition; Revival of urease activity; Self-healing process; Spore germination; Urease-producing bacteria |
| Substance Nomenclature: | EC 3.5.1.5 (Urease) |
| SCR Organism: | Lysinibacillus sphaericus |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260617 Date Completed: 20260711 Latest Revision: 20260711 |
| Update Code: | 20260712 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.envres.2026.125075 |
| PMID: | 42309421 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1096-0953 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.envres.2026.125075 |