BIOMINERALISATION OF SILICATES BY BACTERIAL STRAINS ISOLATED FROM HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS

References: 17th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2017, www.sgem.org, SGEM2017 Conference Proceedings, ISBN 978-619-7408-12-6 / ISSN 1314-2704, 29 June - 5 July, 2017, Vol. 17, Issue 61, 549-554 pp, DOI: 10.5593/sgem2017/61/S25.072

ABSTRACT

Bacillus genus covers a wide spectrum of microorganisms able to produce various polymorphic forms of silicate minerals in the form of crystalline structure based on diverse sources of silicon. Bacterial microorganisms along with mineral crystals were examined on human skeletal remains in different phases of their decomposition which had been exhumed from a church tomb. In total, 52 microorganisms were isolated from the bone surfaces, among which prevailed the bacteria belonging to the Bacillus genus. This bacterial genus was represented by 13 isolates and the following species: Bacillus butanolivorans, Bacillus simplex, Bacillus pseudomycoides, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus luciferensis; other 7 isolates of Bacillus sp. have not been classified to species yet. The bone surfaces with confirmed predominantly silicate phases of minerals were examined using X-ray diffraction. The study discusses the environmental factors that influence the precipitation of minerals induced by Bacillus bacteria.

Keywords: bacteria, biomineralization, precipitation, human skeletal remains