Natural mineral formations are a window into important processes leading to carbon storage and mineralized carbonate structures formed through abiotic and biotic processes. In the current study, we made an attempt to undertake a comprehensive approach to characterize the mineralogical, mechanical, and microbial properties of different kinds of speleothems from karstic caves; with an aim to unde...

Biomorphs are a unique class of self-organised silica–carbonate mineral structures with elaborate shapes. Here we report first approaches to modify these complex inorganic architectures through silane chemistry, binding of nanoparticles, and organic polymerisation. This leads to functional nanostructures in which the complexity of the originally inorganic template is preserved, and offers new d...

In vitro formation of Ca-oxalates and the mineral glushinskite by fungal interaction with carbonate substrates and seawater K. Kolo and Ph. Claeys Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Geology, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Received: 21 February 2005 – Accepted: 21 March 2005 – Published: 15 April 2005 Correspondence to: K. Kolo ([email protected]) © 2005 Author(s). This work is licens...

Hybrid microspheres of calcium carbonate/fullerenol were synthesized and characterized. Their morphology depends on the concentration of the fullerenol solutions. XRD and FT-IR measurements proved that the mineral phase is consistently calcite, while fluorescence confocal microscopy indicated that fullerenol is homogenously included in the crystalline matrix.

Lowering the costs of front-end processes in the geologic sequestration of CO2 can dramatically lower the overall costs. One approach is to sequester less-pure CO2 waste streams that are less expensive or require less energy to separate from flue gas, a coal gasification process, etc. The objective of this research is to evaluate the impacts of an impure CO2 waste stream on geologic sequestrati...

Calcium carbonate is the material that builds up the spicules of the calcareous sponges. Recent results revealed that the calcium carbonate/biocalcite-based spicular skeleton of these animals is formed through an enzymatic mechanism, such as the skeleton of the siliceous sponges, evolutionarily the oldest animals that consist of biosilica. The enzyme that mediates the calcium carbonate depositi...

Recently we have shown that supplemental dietary calcium precipitates luminal cytolytic surfactants and thus inhibits colonic epithelial proliferation, which may decrease the risk of colon cancer. In Western diets, milk products are quantitatively the most important source of dietary calcium. However, they also contain large amounts of phosphate, which has been hypothesized to inhibit the antip...

For obtaining reservoir petrophysical properties, for example porosity, non-destructive methods such as X-ray computed tomography, CT, seems to be precise and accurate. Porosity is deducted from the CT image with a single scan via different techniques, such as pore space detection by image segmentation techniques then correlation with porosity. More than one hundred samples with carbonate li...

Some crustaceans possess exoskeletons that are reinforced with calcium carbonate. In the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus, the molar tooth, which is part of the mandibular exoskeleton, contains an unusual crystalline enamel-like apatite layer. As this layer resembles vertebrate enamel in composition and function, it offers an interesting example of convergent evolution. Unlike other parts of the...

The stunting effect of ocean acidification on development of calcifying invertebrate larvae has emerged as a significant effect of global change. We assessed the arm growth response of sea urchin echinoplutei, here used as a proxy of larval calcification, to increased seawater acidity/pCO2 and decreased carbonate mineral saturation in a global synthesis of data from 15 species. Phylogenetic rel...