An Alternative Biotechnological Tool for Magnesite Enrichment: Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Soil

WOS: 000513304800001Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is found in different polymorph structures such as aragonite, vaterite, and calcite. The most common and stable form of CaCO3, calcite, which is abundant in sedimentary rocks as magnesite ore. Magnesite has application areas in many industrial fields including paper, pharmaceutical and refractory materials. Magnesite is theoretically formulated MgCO3, but contains many impurities (silicium, iron, and also calcite), that limits its usability and applicability. In this research, we aimed to investigate the decalcification possibility of the raw magnesite material through application of Enterococcus feacelis (EF) with CaCO3 dissolution ability. The exact mechanism of CaCO3 dissolution was investigated by carbonic anhydrase enzyme assay and HPLC analysis of organic acids produced by EF. Consequently, EF reduced the amount of CaCO3 from 2.94% to 0.49% which means a reduction (approximate to 83.33%) in the rate of CaCO3 percentage. As a result of the experiments, it was observed that different organic acids produced by bacteria reacted with CaCO3 and removed the lime of magnesite ore. The bacteria used in the study did not show any pathogenic properties in rats, thus, it can be used safely for the industrial applications