# From Waste to Strength: Applying Wastepaper, Fungi and Bacteria for Soil Stabilization
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Properties of MICP-Treated Soil Samples with Wastepaper Additives
It is possible that the addition of wastepaper inhibited the growth and spread of fungal hyphae within the soil, leading to a decrease in strength as the amount of wastepaper increased. Furthermore, the reduction in the reinforcing effect of wastepaper might be due to the cellulolytic enzyme complex produced by the fungus _Sc. candidum_[44], which could have led to partial decomposition of the wastepaper added to the soil. 1.3. Results of Whole-Genome Sequencing of the Microbiome of Soil Samples Treated with Bacterial and Fungal Biomasses  
To understand how treating soil with bacterial and fungal biomass affects its bacterial composition, we analyzed the microbiota of soil samples without wastepaper. As shown in Figure 5, the addition of _Bacillus licheniformis_ DSMZ 8782 increased the proportion of bacteria from the genus Bacillus, from 0.39% in the Control sample to 1.0% and 1.34% in the Bact and Mix samples, respectively. The number of _Streptomyces_ bacteria also increased, from 7.01% in the Control sample to 10.07% in the Bact sample and 8.98% in the Mix sample. Overall, the microbiomes in the Control and Bact samples did not differ significantly. However, when _Sc. candidum_ biomass was added to the soil, the microbial communities in the Fng and Mix samples changed considerably. In these samples, the proportions of most bacteria that were not well-represented in the samples without the fungus increased. Conversely, the population of nitrogen-fixing bacteria from the genus _Bradyrhizobium_ decreased almost twofold. The addition of fungal biomass appears to have altered the soil's composition, either promoting or inhibiting the growth of various bacteria. For example, because _Sc. candidum_ was pre-cultured on a medium containing filter paper, its biomass may have contained degradation products [44], which could have stimulated the growth of cellulolytic bacteria [45]. One such bacterium is _Cellulosinicrobium_, whose proportion increased from 0.08% in the Control and Bact samples to 0.75% and 2.75% in the Fng and Mix samples, respectively. Figure 4: Images of soil samples with the addition of wastepaper treated with bacterial and fungal biomass. (**A**,**C**) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of Bact sample, where the green arrows show bacteria on the surface of a calcium carbonate crystal deposited in the soil, while the blue arrows show the trace of bacteria around which calcite formed; (**B**,**D**) light microscopy image (10\(\times\)) of Fng sample, where the red arrows mark the hyphae of the fungus inside the soil structure. Additionally, the content of _Lysinibacillus_ bacteria significantly increased in the Fng and Mix samples (11.06% and 15.4% in Fng and Mix samples vs. 0.01% and 0.04% in Control and Bact samples, respectively). Meanwhile, a representative of this genus, _Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus_, a species known for its mineral-forming properties, was used in soil treatment by [PERSON] [27]. This increase in _Lysinibacillus_ may explain, in part, the improvement in the strength of the Fng and Mix samples.