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Optimization of the biological soil improvement procedure

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Abstract

Biocalcification is a developing method in the realm of bio-geotechnics, potentially invaluable for soil stabilization. The method is based on microbial-induced calcite precipitation. Hydrolysis of urea by the urease enzyme discharging from bacteria in the presence of Ca2+ is one of the most notable methods for calcium carbonate precipitation. However, partial clogging may occur as a result of premature bacterial activity that hinders free flow of the mixture, prohibiting spatial homogeneity of the sediment formation, thus limiting the extent of calcification. In order to circumvent clogging, bacterial activity was suppressed in this study prior to injection by lowering the temperature of the suspension and the reaction to 3 °C prior to mixture, delaying CaCO3 precipitation and thus allowing more uniform dispersion of the mixture. Sporosarcina pasteurii and Arthrobacter crystallopoietes were cultured in two different media and injected with reactant agent into samples of non-cohesive sand. The effect of culture media and temperature was studied on the rate and volume of CaCO3 precipitation. Furthermore, the effect of cementation of each batch on the shear strength of the treated soil was evaluated in unconfined compression test. Compressive strengths in excess of 400 kPa were recorded for samples that were injected in two phases, an hour apart. Whereas the highest compressive strength obtained from a single-phase injection at room temperature was approximately 80 kPa. By lowering the temperature of the bacterial suspension and the reactant solution prior to injection, the compressive strength of the sample treated in a single phase was increased to 230 kPa.

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Notes

  1. Urea hydrolysis is the conversion of urea to carbonate and ammonium ions in the presence of water.

  2. Amino acid deamination is the removal of an amine group from a molecule.

  3. Urease is an enzyme which catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea.

  4. 16S rRNA gene sequences test (was done by Iranian Biological Resource Centre (IBRC)) has been used for the identification of selected bacterium. BLAST results shows that the isolated strains has phylogenetically affinities with Arthrobacter Crystallopoietes (DSM 20117 (T)), a gram positive, aerobic, rod shape, non-spore forming, and urease positive bacterium.

  5. Refer to a suspension which contain Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria cultivated in Caso* culture media.

  6. SP/2/Caso* refer to a double shot treatment using Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria cultivated in Caso* culture media.

  7. SP/1/Caso* similar to the SP/2/Caso* trend using a single shot.

  8. AC/2/Caso* refer to a double shot treatment using Arthrobacter crystallopoietes bacteria cultivated in Caso* culture media.

  9. AC/1/Caso* similar to the AC/2/Caso* trend using a single shot.

  10. AC/2/Y-Ext* similar to the AC/2/Caso* trend using Y-Ext* culture media, etc.

  11. This image was taken by Thin Film and Nano-Electronic Research Center—Tehran University.

  12. This test was done by Iranian Material and Energy Research Center.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms. R. Bazzaz zadeh and Dr. F. Tabande for their useful comments and Mr. B. Mirzaie for her assistance in the laboratory tests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, P.O. Box 1996715433, Tehran, Iran

    F. Kalantary & M. Kahani

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  1. F. Kalantary
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Correspondence to M. Kahani.

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Editorial responsibility: Josef Trögl.

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Kalantary, F., Kahani, M. Optimization of the biological soil improvement procedure. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 4231–4240 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1821-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1821-9

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