Biological improvement of sandy soil by microbial induced carbonate precipitation

Abstract

Microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a relatively green and sustainable soil improvement technique. It refers to a chemical reaction network that is managed and controlled within soil through biological activity and whose byproducts alter the engineering properties of soil. To treat soil, first, the microbial population in-situ is augmented by the injection of additional urease positive bacteria and then reagents are added. A series of laboratory test was carried out to investigate the potential application of the technique in improving the strength and impermeability of a sand specimen and utilized techniques, materials, methods and empirical process during the test are explained. The results showed that as a result of the calcite precipitation, shear wave velocity increased up to 1000m/s and UCS strength increased to about 300Kpa and permeability of soil decreased significantly upon MICP treatment.