Sensor-driven durable low carbon concrete infrastructure

工业污染对土地、生态系统和人类健康构成重大威胁。可持续技术是解决日益增长的布朗菲尔德修复和再开发需求的选择。研究已经探索了一种称为微生物诱导碳酸盐沉淀（MICP）的新方法，该方法在从地质技术到土木工程的各种应用中显示出有希望的结果。一种高度特征化的模式生物，具有完善的遗传修饰程序，称为枯草芽孢杆菌，也显示出在土壤稳定，自我修复生物混凝土和重金属生物修复中的潜力。本研究旨在开发一种适合于大规模现场测试的“智能”枯草芽孢杆菌菌株，并探索一种将土壤稳定化、自我修复和重金属生物修复整合为单一方法的新途径。该研究将涉及探索枯草芽孢杆菌的自然特性，以建立比较基线，并通过反复修改菌株，工程设计周期和测试，直到创建合适的菌株。这项研究的结果有望创造出一种“智能”枯草芽孢杆菌菌株，该菌株可以稳定土壤，显示自我修复特性，并修复土壤中的重金属，这将促进可持续发展和跨学科合作，同时更好地了解尿素分解MICP机制及其潜在的土地修复应用。

Industrial pollution poses a major threat to land, ecosystems and human health. Sustainable technologies are the choiceto address the growing need for remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites. Research has explored a novelprocess called microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) that displays a promising result in various applicationsfrom geotechnology to civil engineering. A highly characterised model organism with well-established geneticmodification procedures called Bacillus subtilis has also shown potential for use in soil stabilisation, self-healingbioconcrete and heavy metal bioremediation. This research aims to develop a "smart" Bacillus subtilis strain suitable forlarge-scale on-site testing, and to explore a novel avenue of integrating soil stabilisation, self-healing and heavy metalbioremediation into a single approach. The research will involve exploring the natural properties of Bacillus subtilis toestablish a baseline for comparison, and through repeatedly modifications to the strains, engineering design cycles andtests until a suitable strain is created. The outcome of this research is expected to create a "smart" Bacillus subtilis strainthat can stabilise soil, display self-healing properties, and remediate heavy metals from soil, which promotes sustainabledevelopment and interdisciplinary collaboration while providing a better understanding of ureolytic MICP mechanismsand their potential land remediation applications.