REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiotechnology
This article is part of the Research TopicMicrobial Diversity in Mine DrainageView all 7 articles
Microbially-Induced Carbonate Precipitation in Coal-Associated Environments: Opportunities and Challenges
Provisionally accepted
Kuanysh Tastambek1
Azhar Malik1*
Nuraly Akimbekov1
Ilya Digel2
Nazym Altynbay1Damir Nussipov1Bekzat Kamenov1Dinara Sherelkhan1Moldir Turaliyeva3*Yaya Wang4Liu Xiangrong4- 1Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 2FH Aachen Institut fur Nano- und Biotechnologien, Jülich, Germany
- 3Mukhtar Auezov South Kazakhstan State University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
- 4Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a promising biotechnological approach for addressing coal dust pollution in mining and industrial environments. Among the various biological agents, urease-producing bacteria play a central role in catalyzing urea hydrolysis, leading to the generation of carbonate ions that react with calcium to form calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This biologically formed mineral binds dust particles, enhances surface stability, and reduces airborne pollutant dispersion. While MICP presents clear environmental and structural advantages, including low toxicity, long-term ecological compatibility, and compatibility with natural ecosystems, the underlying mechanisms, particularly the microbial adhesion to coal particles and subsequent mineralization dynamics, remain poorly understood. High production costs, sensitivity to environmental conditions, and lack of large-scale validation have also limited the practical implementation of microbial dust suppressants. This review provides a comprehensive look at the current research on the biological processes and application strategies of MICP in coal dust suppression, emphasizing the role of ureolytic bacteria, carrier systems, and calcium sources. Furthermore, it explores recent advancements in microbial strain selection, additive incorporation, and delivery methods that aim to optimize microbial survival and mineralization efficiency in real-world mining conditions. Future perspectives are discussed to support the development of cost-effective and scalable microbial formulations, paving the way for green and durable solutions in mine dust management.
Keywords: biocementation, Dust suppression, Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation, Urease, Ureolytic bacteria
Received: 17 Dec 2025; Accepted: 05 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Tastambek, Malik, Akimbekov, Digel, Altynbay, Nussipov, Kamenov, Sherelkhan, Turaliyeva, Wang and Xiangrong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Azhar Malik
Moldir Turaliyeva
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.