Application of biocement for solidifying sandy soil

Abstract

This paper investigated an application of biological techniques to produce biocement for solydiying loose sandy soil. Microorganisms have been grown in a sterile condition pf laboratory environment could achieve the appropriate urease activity for biochemical reactions, in order to produce CaCO₃ precipitation. The study employed a low-speed circulating pump technique to introduce solutions of microorganisms and chemicals into the sand columns. The compressive strength of biocement treated sand samples was up to 5 MPa. The microstructural analysis has shown that the calcium carbonate contents, distribution location of CaCO₃ precipitation were very important factors for enhancing the compressive strength of samples. The results of this study have the potential to develop the application of biocement in ground improvement of loose sandy soil in the future.