Biomineralization Applied to Water Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions for rapid, open-access publication of high-quality peer-reviewed studies in the field of microbial biomineralization for water treatment. Biomineralization is a process performed by various types of organisms. In bacteria, changes in internal metabolism modify their surrounding environment, inducing the precipitation of crystals such as calcium carbonate and struvite, among many others. One of the most studied processes is the microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP) by the urea pathway. Thus, the bacteria hydrolyze the urea through the urease enzyme, releasing ammonium and carbonate, which generates beneficial conditions for precipitation of calcium carbonate. Currently, MICP have been shown to be relevant for applications such as removal of heavy metals through coprecipitation with CaCO₃, biocementation, and other biotechnological applications. For this Special Issue, we encourage the contribution of laboratories or companies that are mainly focused on MICP for the treatment of water (including seawater, wastewater, or other types of water) and research dealing with the impact of microbial biomineralization processes on natural and industrial environments. Additionally, we welcome other studies focused on the function of other compounds derived from microorganisms that favor the formation of biominerals in aquatic environments. Likewise, this Special Issue aims to cover other interdisciplinary aspects that address interactions between minerals and intra- or extracellular organic compounds, and the role of biominerals in possible industrial applications on the bioremediation of heavy metals from wastewater or others.

Dr. Mariella Rivas
Dr. Dayana Arias
Dr. Alvaro Esteban Torres-Aravena
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.