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Effect of silica powder on microbial-induced carbonate precipitation improvement of medium-coarse sand

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Abstract

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a green and sustainable technique for changing or improving the physical and mechanical properties of soils. Silica powder has good pozzolanic activity and filling ability. In this paper, silica powder and MICP technology are combined to improve the efficiency of microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation by utilizing the good activity of silica powder, so as to study the influence of silica powder on the physical and mechanical properties of bio-treated medium-coarse soil. The bio-treated samples were tested and evaluated in terms of bacterial retention capacity, calcium carbonate precipitation, microstructure, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), permeability, and durability. It was found that with the increase of silica powder content, the bacterial activity retention rate increased, the calcium carbonate content increased and the UCS increased, the permeability decreased significantly, the durability improved, but the water resistance and water absorption ability did not change significantly. Overall, because the silica powder enhances the performance of MICP treated sand, the waste silica powder can be effectively reused in the MICP technology.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (No. 2018M640683), Postdoctoral Research Grant of Henan (No. 001801006), and Youth talent teacher of Henan (No. 2018GGJS078).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geosciences and Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China

    Yang Zhao, Shaojie Yang, Zhiyang Xiao, Fanyou Meng, Beibei Zhang & Mengnan Yuan

  2. Zipingpu Development Limited Company of Sichuan, Chengdu, China

    Yang Zhao

  3. Chengdu Xingcheng Development Limited Company, Chengdu, China

    Wanyi Zhu

  4. Zheng Zhou University, No. 29 Beisanhuan, JinshuiZhengzhou, 450001, China

    Yang Zhao

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  1. Yang Zhao
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  2. Shaojie Yang
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  5. Fanyou Meng
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Correspondence to Yang Zhao.

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Zhao, Y., Yang, S., Xiao, Z. et al. Effect of silica powder on microbial-induced carbonate precipitation improvement of medium-coarse sand. Bull Eng Geol Environ 82, 116 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03110-w

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