Development and optimization of biomimetic-chemically induced carbonate precipitation: A review of recent research

With further investigation on biomineralization, biomimetic mineralization has been proposed in imitation of microorganism behavior, in which the mechanism of biomineralization is utilized for the control of the crystal growth to synthesize inorganic materials with special structures and superior physical-chemical properties. This review summarizes the recent advances in biomimetic-chemically induced carbonate precipitation (BCICP). BCICP is a biomimetic mineralization process induced by calcium carbonate crystal modifiers, which directly regulates the metathesis reaction of calcium salts with carbonates in soils to improve the soil properties. Several crystal modifiers for BCICP, including the aspartic acid (organic), the boric acid (inorganic), and the polyacrylic acid (polymer), are reviewed, and the biomimetic mineralization mechanism is introduced. In addition, current findings about BCICP in cementitious materials, soil reinforcement, dust suppression, as well as other fields are discussed, aiming to give deeper insights into the further development and application of BCICP.