Mineralization Mechanism of Mineralization Bacteria on Strontium Crystallization of Simulated Radionuclides

Abstract Microbial‐induced carbonate crystallization is a natural biological process in which microbes produce inorganic materials as part of their basic metabolic activities. Herein, the influence of the bacterial somatic solution and secretion solution on the crystal growth behavior of strontium carbonate (SrCO 3 ) is studied. The mineralization mechanism of carbonate mineralizing bacteria on simulated radionuclides (Sr 2+ ) is also demonstrated. The results reveal that the morphology of SrCO 3 crystal formed by involvement of microbes is greatly different with chemical method, which means that microbes play a critical role during the SrCO 3 crystallization process. Briefly, bacterial somatic provides nucleation sites for SrCO 3 during both the nucleation and growth processes. In addition, bacterial secretions play a vital role in regulating the morphology of mineralized products. This work unveils the mineralization process of strontium nuclides, providing reference for the control of crystal morphologies and structural properties of the SrCO 3 .