Silicate Minerals Induced by Microorganisms

Rocks are made up of minerals and they form the Earth’s crust. Nearly 90% of Earth’s solid material are silicate minerals. Rocks and minerals are the source and sink of most essential elements, without which the living forms cannot survive. This nutrient source has to be mineralized from the parent rock. The biological agents such as bacteria, fungi, algae, cyanobacteria, etc. effectively act on this mineralization process. Bioweathering is the destruction or decomposition of rocks by the ubiquitous microbial source. By this biomineralization, transformation of silicate minerals takes place by varied microbial metabolic activities. Biodissolution mechanism comprises acidolysis, extracellular polysaccharide production, pH fluctuation, chelation, organic acid secretion, and organic ligand production. These mechanisms vary with the variety of bioagents that trigger the silicate mineral formation. Biomineralization of silicate minerals leads to various biogeochemical processes, viz., soil formation, mineral transformation, and nutrient mobilization to plants and microbes itself which are streamlined naturally by this ‘bio-miners’ or biological agents, which balance nutrient cycling and maintain equilibrium. Such natural phenomenon supports the living forms in varied ecosystem. Exploration and bio-intervention of such novel microbes leads to more advantages in mineral formation and its allied processes. In this chapter, the author presents a critical review of mineral formation from silicate minerals, mechanisms, and its application aspects collected from existing literatures. An advancement and extensive research in this field would no doubt nourish the environment in ecofriendly approaches.