Effect of rice husk biochar as a carrier for Sporosarcina pasteurii in zinc removal through MICP process

Effect of rice husk biochar as a carrier for Sporosarcina pasteurii in zinc removal through MICP process | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Effect of rice husk biochar as a carrier for Sporosarcina pasteurii in zinc removal through MICP process Atena Pordadashi, Nasrin Ghorbanzadeh, Mohammad Bagher Farhangi, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8820951/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a promising technique for heavy metal immobilization; however, its effectiveness can be compromised by bacterial survival and distribution in contaminated soils. This study evaluates the potential of rice husk biochar as a carrier for Sporosarcina pasteurii to enhance MICP-mediated Zn immobilization. After spiking the soil with 500 mg kg⁻¹ Zn (as ZnCl 2 .2H 2 O), five treatments were applied: SP (inoculation of bacteria at approximately 10 8 cells mL − 1 , 1% v/w), B (application of rice husk biochar at 1% w/w), BSP (approximately 10 8 cells mL − 1 + biochar), IBSP (immobilized bacteria on biochar), and C (control, soil without any treatments). Soil properties, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC) content, microbial basal respiration, microbial biomass carbon, urease activity, and Zn concentrations in soluble-exchangeable and carbonate fractions, were measured over 28 days. The IBSP treatment showed the highest Zn immobilization, reducing the soil Zn soluble-exchangeable fraction by 93.1% compared to the C. By the end of the incubation period, the soil Zn carbonate fraction increased by 56.5% in the IBSP treatment, while the BSP and SP treatments exhibited increases of 52.2% and 41.9%, respectively. Additionally, significant increases in pH, EC, and microbial activity were observed in the IBSP treatment relative to the other treatments. Therefore, applying rice husk biochar as a carrier for S . pasteurii improves soil biological properties and significantly enhances Zn immobilization via the MICP process, suggesting its potential as a cost-effective and sustainable approach for remediating Zn-contaminated soils. Biological sciences/Biotechnology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Biological sciences/Microbiology Biomineralization Calcium carbonate Heavy metals Microbial basal respiration Urease Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 01 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 11 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 24 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 14 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8820951","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":604481585,"identity":"809fe3b6-333d-4c62-96bc-4e2d84aa144c","order_by":0,"name":"Atena Pordadashi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Guilan","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Atena","middleName":"","lastName":"Pordadashi","suffix":""},{"id":604481586,"identity":"2f553583-a62a-4b78-a69c-5258d38301f6","order_by":1,"name":"Nasrin Ghorbanzadeh","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Guilan","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nasrin","middleName":"","lastName":"Ghorbanzadeh","suffix":""},{"id":604481587,"identity":"ab41b7ea-b393-40c3-abd7-e302783f3c3c","order_by":2,"name":"Mohammad Bagher Farhangi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Guilan","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"Bagher","lastName":"Farhangi","suffix":""},{"id":604481588,"identity":"9eee3aee-39e8-4bf9-a61d-c8e763f3ce6d","order_by":3,"name":"Maryam Khalili Rad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Guilan","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maryam","middleName":"Khalili","lastName":"Rad","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-08 10:53:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8820951/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8820951/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104488529,"identity":"9addc2be-9be3-4962-8c9b-97927f37cf05","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-12 10:57:59","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":600814,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptWithAuthorsDetails.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8820951/v1_covered_a430e9fa-447f-49ef-a74c-3bd3e2ccfdd6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of rice husk biochar as a carrier for Sporosarcina pasteurii in zinc removal through MICP process\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Biomineralization, Calcium carbonate, Heavy metals, Microbial basal respiration, Urease","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8820951/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8820951/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eMicrobially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a promising technique for heavy metal immobilization; however, its effectiveness can be compromised by bacterial survival and distribution in contaminated soils. This study evaluates the potential of rice husk biochar as a carrier for \u003cem\u003eSporosarcina pasteurii\u003c/em\u003e to enhance MICP-mediated Zn immobilization. After spiking the soil with 500 mg kg⁻\u0026sup1; Zn (as ZnCl\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e.2H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO), five treatments were applied: SP (inoculation of bacteria at approximately 10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e cells mL\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, 1% v/w), B (application of rice husk biochar at 1% w/w), BSP (approximately 10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e cells mL\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e+ biochar), IBSP (immobilized bacteria on biochar), and C (control, soil without any treatments). Soil properties, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC) content, microbial basal respiration, microbial biomass carbon, urease activity, and Zn concentrations in soluble-exchangeable and carbonate fractions, were measured over 28 days. The IBSP treatment showed the highest Zn immobilization, reducing the soil Zn soluble-exchangeable fraction by 93.1% compared to the C. By the end of the incubation period, the soil Zn carbonate fraction increased by 56.5% in the IBSP treatment, while the BSP and SP treatments exhibited increases of 52.2% and 41.9%, respectively. Additionally, significant increases in pH, EC, and microbial activity were observed in the IBSP treatment relative to the other treatments. Therefore, applying rice husk biochar as a carrier for \u003cem\u003eS\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epasteurii\u003c/em\u003e improves soil biological properties and significantly enhances Zn immobilization via the MICP process, suggesting its potential as a cost-effective and sustainable approach for remediating Zn-contaminated soils.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of rice husk biochar as a carrier for Sporosarcina pasteurii in zinc removal through MICP process","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-12 10:57:49","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8820951/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-04-01T08:13:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-30T09:17:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-11T13:23:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"314377779472292839065734490741826900014","date":"2026-03-11T00:13:51+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"174993540641372536811576164540056057990","date":"2026-03-06T16:36:02+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-06T16:22:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-02T17:07:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-25T04:06:58+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-02-19T00:21:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-02-14T06:08:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ae823d12-4890-46c2-a13b-9a6789bc171c","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":64384271,"name":"Biological sciences/Biotechnology"},{"id":64384272,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":64384273,"name":"Biological sciences/Microbiology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-06T19:23:18+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-12 10:57:49","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8820951","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8820951","identity":"rs-8820951","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}