Precipitation of calcium carbonate in the presence of rhamnolipids in alginate hydrogels as a model of biomineralization.

This paper reports the effects of rhamnolipids presence in the alginate hydrogel and CO32- solution, on the precipitation of CaCO3 in the Ca2+ loaded alginate hydrogel. Characteristics of the formed particles are discussed. Model conditions containing alginate hydrogel and rhamnolipids were used in order to mimic the natural environment of biomineralization in biofilms. It has been shown that rhamnolipids affect the characteristics of precipitated calcium carbonate effect of using these biosurfactants depends on their concentration as well as whether they are directly present in the hydrogel matrix or the carbonate solution surrounding the hydrogel. The greatest effect compared to the control samples was found for the rhamnolipids in the form of micelles directly present in the hydrogel with the CaCl2 cross-linked solution at concentration of 0.05 M. These conditions result in the highest increase in vaterite content, specific surface area, and pore volume. The mechanism of CaCO3 precipitation in alginate hydrogel containing rhamnolipids has been proposed.

Influence of Rhamnolipids and Ionic Cross-Linking Conditions on the Mechanical Properties of Alginate Hydrogels as a Model Bacterial Biofilm.

The literature indicates the existence of a relationship between rhamnolipids and bacterial biofilm, as well as the ability of selected bacteria to produce rhamnolipids and alginate. However, the influence of biosurfactant molecules on the mechanical properties of biofilms are still not fully understood. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of rhamnolipids concentration, CaCl2 concentration, and ionic cross-linking time on the mechanical properties of alginate hydrogels using a Box-Behnken design. The mechanical properties of cross-linked alginate hydrogels were characterized using a universal testing machine. It was assumed that the addition of rhamnolipids mainly affects the compression load, and the value of this parameter is lower for hydrogels produced with biosurfactant concentration below CMC than for hydrogels obtained in pure water. In contrast, the addition of rhamnolipids in an amount exceeding CMC causes an increase in compression load. In bacterial biofilms, the presence of rhamnolipid molecules does not exceed the CMC value, which may confirm the influence of this biosurfactant on the formation of the biofilm structure. Moreover, rhamnolipids interact with the hydrophobic part of the alginate copolymer chains, and then the hydrophilic groups of adsorbed biosurfactant molecules create additional calcium ion trapping sites.

Precipitation and Transformation of Vaterite Calcium Carbonate in the Presence of Some Organic Solvents.

In this paper, the production of CaCO3 particles via the carbonation route in the reaction of CaCl2 and CO2, using NH3 as a promoter of CO2 absorption, was studied. The solvents used as the reaction media for CaCO3 precipitation were aqueous solutions of methanol, isopropanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), in a concentration range of 0-20% (v/v). It was found that the presence of an organic additive influenced the precipitation rate, the content of vaterite in the obtained product, the morphology and the size of the precipitated CaCO3 particles, as well as the rate of its transformation into calcite. The presence of all added organic solvents reduced the vaterite concentration in the produced CaCO3 both at the end of the reaction and after incubation in the reaction medium for 1 h. However, the transformation of vaterite particles into calcite in the tested solutions was slower when the 4 h and 24 h procedures were compared. The interactions of solvents with calcite and vaterite were compared using HPLC tests. DMSO molecules interacted with vaterite particles the most strongly, while the interaction of isopropanol with this polymorph was the weakest. The opposite effect was observed for interactions with calcite particles, and the affinity decreased in the series: isopropanol, methanol, DMSO.