Formation mechanism of disc-shaped calcite—a case study on Arthrobacter sp. MF-2

Abstract

Research on the biogenic-specific morphology of carbonate minerals has made progress in the fields of biomineralization and industrial engineering. In this study, mineralization experiments were performed using Arthrobacter sp. MF-2, including its biofilms. The results showed that a particular morphology of minerals (i.e., disc-shaped) was observed in the mineralization experiments with strain MF-2. The disc-shaped minerals were formed near the air/solution interface. We also observed that disc-shaped minerals formed in experiments with the biofilms of strain MF-2. Therefore, the nucleation of carbonate particles on the biofilm templates produced a novel disc-shaped morphology which was assembled from calcite nanocrystals radiating out from the periphery of the template biofilms. Further, we propose a possible formation mechanism of the disc-shaped morphology. This study may provide new perspectives on the formation mechanism of carbonate morphogenesis in the process of biomineralization.