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Analysis of the pore network structure of microbial solidification of construction residue soil based on CT scanning

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Abstract

The pore structure of microbially solidified construction residue soil is an important factor affecting its ability to resist wind erosion and dust. It is challenging to explain the mechanism of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation and to more accurately simulate the infiltration process of bacterial liquid given that current studies on pore structure and distribution in this field are restricted to two-dimensional surface observation and macroscopic experimental parameter determination. In this paper, the high-precision image of microbially solidified construction residue soil is obtained by CT scanning, and the three-dimensional network pore structure model of microbially solidified construction residue soil is reconstructed using advanced visualization software (Avizo) and digital image processing technology. Four representative units are extracted from the model in turn, and the maximum ball algorithm is used to statistically analyze the parameters such as pores and throats of the representative units. Results show that the soil’s pore and throat radii are, respectively, distributed around 80 and 60 μm and the fitting indexes are 0.90 and 0.93, respectively. The coordination number is mainly distributed in the range of 4–11, and the fitting index is 0.94. The throat length is distributed in the range of 50–950 μm, and the fitting index is 0.83. According to frequency distributions of pore volume and pore-throat equivalent radius ratio, the pores in the soil are mostly small and micro pores, the pore network is well developed, and the structure is relatively stable. Construction residue soil’s resistance to wind erosion and dust-raising can be significantly improved by microbial solidification. This method can also be useful for nondestructive quantitative characterization of soil meso-pore network structure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51580166). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Thanks to Henan Polytechnic University for providing laboratory equipment and space, Thank you to all the participants and helpers of this work.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51580166).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454003, China

    Zhang Minxia, Feng Congrui, Xu Ping & Chen Chen

  2. Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Corporation, Shenzhen, 518131, Guangdong, China

    Niu Shuangjian

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  1. Zhang Minxia
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  2. Feng Congrui
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  3. Niu Shuangjian
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  4. Xu Ping
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  5. Chen Chen
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Contributions

The authors of ZM and FC did relevant experiments and wrote the main manuscript text, NS, XP and CC learned and applied relevant software technologies. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Feng Congrui.

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Minxia, Z., Congrui, F., Shuangjian, N. et al. Analysis of the pore network structure of microbial solidification of construction residue soil based on CT scanning. Environ Earth Sci 82, 277 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-10966-4

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