An anionic biopolymer γ-polyglutamate enhanced the microbially induced carbonate precipitation for soil improvement: mechanical behaviors and underlying mechanism

The use of biopolymer to improve the performance of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP)-treated sands is a novel and eco-friendly concept. This work found an anionic biopolymer, γ-polyglutamate (γ-PGA), could significantly improve the performance of MICP-treated sands. Comparing the control with absence of γ-PGA, the concentration of 0.1–9 g/L γ-PGA increased the compressive strength of MICP-treated sands by 1.54–3.96 times and significantly reduced the brittleness. The MICP process analysis and microstructural detection demonstrated that γ-PGA in the specimens provided many nucleation sites and templates for calcite generation, partially kept the bacterial urease activity by replacement of the bacteria as nucleation sites, thereby improving the calcite generation. The γ-PGA also cemented sand grains with calcite through the hydrogen bond-type intermolecular interactions. Both the calcite generation and the hydrogen bond-type intermolecular interactions by γ-PGA played vital roles in enhancing MICP for soil improvement. Additionally, γ-PGA, as a viscoelastic admixture between the crystals and sand grains, effectively dissipated the energy of stress and thus reduced the brittleness of MICP-treated sands. This is the first report on the application of anionic biopolymer to MICP technology. It provides a novel concept in promoting the efficiency and sustainability of MICP.

     

Use of microfluidic experiments to optimize MICP treatment protocols for effective strength enhancement of MICP-treated sandy soils

Microbially induced calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) precipitation (MICP) has been extensively studied for soil improvement in geotechnical engineering. The quantity and size of calcium carbonate crystals affect the strength of MICP-treated soil. In this study, microfluidic chip experiments and soil column experiments were conducted to optimize MICP treatment protocols for effective strength enhancement of MICP-treated sandy soils. The microscale experiments reveal that, due to Ostwald ripening, longer injection intervals allow crystals to dissolve and reprecipitate into larger crystals regardless of the concentration of cementation solution. Even though a cementation solution input rate of 0.042 mol/l/h is sufficient to maintain a high chemical transformation efficiency, a further reduction in the input rate by about four times resulted in an increase in the size of crystals produced by the end of treatment from about 40 to 60 μm. These findings were applied in soil column experiments. Results showed that significantly larger crystals and higher soil strength were achieved when the normalized rate of cementation solution injection was reduced from 0.042 to 0.021 mol/l/h. Crystal size and soil strength increased slightly more when the normalized input rate was further reduced from 0.021 to 0.010 mol/l/h. This study demonstrates how data from microscale microfluidic experiments that examine the effects of injection intervals and concentration of cementation solution on the properties of calcium carbonate crystals can be used to optimize MICP treatment in macroscale sand soil column experiments for effective strength enhancement.

     

Biochemical,Strength and Erosional Characteristics of Coral Sand Treated by Bio-Stimulated Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation

Microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP), a bio-cementation process, can be adopted to improve the engineering properties of granular soils. Bio-stimulation, via directly enriching indigenous ureolytic bacteria, is a sustainable and economical approach to achieve MICP. In this study, batch solution experiment was firstly conducted to investigate the biochemical aspects of the bio-stimulated MICP process in coral sands. Three different enrichment media were compared. The statistical analysis was performed to reveal statistically significant factors that influence ureolytic activity, pH value, and viable cell number. Then, the unconfined compression and rainfall-induced erosion tests were conducted to investigate the strength and erosion-resistance of bio-stimulated MICP treated coral sands. The experimental results demonstrate that the enrichment duration, initial urea concentration, and enrichment type are major influencing factors of the ureolytic activity. It is found in this study that yeast-extract-based enrichment media with 170 mM initial urea concentration and enriched for 72 h could achieve the best bio-stimulated MICP treatment efficiency. In addition, higher initial urea concentration in the enrichment medium could yield higher ureolytic activity, which could consequently result in higher cementation content and thus larger UCS and better resistance to rainfall-induced erosion.

     

Bio-geochemical reactive transport modeling of microbial induced calcite precipitation to predict the treatment of sand in one-dimensional flow

Microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has been well studied to date in the laboratory as a viable alternative soil improvement technique that harnesses a natural bacterial process to induce cementation. Specifically, MICP utilizes the microbial process of hydrolysis of urea to induce pH increase leading to calcite precipitation. The study presented herein demonstrates the utility of a simple bio-geochemical reactive transport model to predict MICP in one-dimensional column experiments. The mathematical model was originally developed in the framework of the TOUGHREACT code to include kinetically controlled reaction rates for urea hydrolysis and calcite precipitation. Inverse modeling, via UCODE-2005, is utilized to calibrate and verify the model to experimental data including aqueous and mineral chemistry. Results indicate good agreement between data and simulated results for capturing the trends and magnitudes of a variety of MICP treatment schemes in half meter, one-dimensional flow columns. A design procedure is presented for predicting MICP in one-dimensional flow by sequentially coupling UCODE-2005 with TOUGHREACT.     

原位激发微生物成矿加固钙质砂的剪切与压缩特性研究

钙质砂广泛分布于热带海岸地区,其抗剪强度较低,在较高应力条件下极易破碎。因此,对以钙质砂为主要原料的地基材料进行加固,是海洋岩土工程领域的研究热点。基于尿素水解过程的碳酸钙成矿技术（MICP）是近年来地基材料加固领域的一项新技术。目前广泛使用的生物强化法实现MICP存在成本昂贵及环境适应性差等问题,制约了其大规模工程应用。研究采用原位生物激发MICP法对钙质砂进行加固,并对加固后试样开展直剪和一维压缩试验。结果表明：原位生物激发MICP方法可以在钙质砂中形成有效胶结,胶结水平最大可达6.26%。采用高浓度胶结溶液或增加注射次数可提高胶结水平。同时,加固后钙质砂的最大应力比、最大剪胀角以及残余内摩擦角均随胶结水平增加而显著增大,但竖向应力水平增大会抑制这些力学指标的增大。随胶结水平升高,试样压缩性显著减小;压缩后的原位激发MICP加固钙质砂中,细颗粒与粗颗粒的比例均随胶结水平的增加而增大。     

Influence of cementation level on the strength behaviour of bio-cemented sand

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is used increasingly to improve the engineering properties of granular soils that are unsuitable for construction. This shows MICP technique significant advantages such as low energy consumption and environmentally friendly feature. The objective of the present study is to assess the strength behaviour of bio-cemented sand with varying cementation levels, and to provide an insight into the mechanism of MICP treatment. A series of isotropic consolidated undrained compression tests, calcite mass measurement and scanning electron microscopy tests were conducted. The experimental results show that the strength of bio-cemented sand depends heavily on the cementation level (or calcite content). The variations of strength parameters, i.e. effective friction angle φ′ and effective cohesion c′, with the increase in calcite content can be well evaluated by a linear function and an exponential function, respectively. Based on the precipitation mechanism of calcite crystals, bio-clogging and bio-cementation of calcite crystals are correlated to the amount of total calcite crystals and effective calcite crystals, respectively, and contributed to the improvement in the effective friction angle and effective cohesion of bio-cemented sand, separately.     

火山灰增强微生物固化砂土效果的试验研究

为了提升微生物固化砂土的效果,考虑火山灰的多孔结构及活性特征,设计进行了火山灰增强微生物诱导碳酸钙沉淀（MICP）固化砂土试验,综合宏观物理力学试验和微细观检测,系统分析了火山灰对微生物固化砂土的增强效果及增强机制。结果表明：（1）火山灰能够显著提高砂土微生物加固过程中的固菌率和胶结物产量,火山灰掺量在10%左右达到最佳,与常规MICP相比,固菌率提高了118.28%,胶结物生成量提高了29.55%。（2）火山灰的掺入提高了固化体的抗压强度和抵抗变形的能力,不同围压下固化体的抗压强度提升了52.26%～62.96%,破坏时的应变增加了100.00%～112.58%。（3）火山灰掺入后,固化体的孔隙大小及孔隙率明显减小,整体的密实性及抗渗性能进一步提升,孔隙率从20.12%减小为14.17%,渗透系数降低了一个数量级。（4）火山灰对微生物固化砂土的增强机制主要包括3个方面,一方面,火山灰在砂颗粒间起到了良好的充填作用,大幅减少了颗粒间的大孔隙,使得固化体的密实性增强;另一方面,火山灰良好的吸附作用有效提高了试样内细菌的含量,使固化体碳酸钙的产量及分布的均匀性均增加;第3方面,火山灰中的活性物质参与反应生成的胶凝物质与碳酸钙晶体形成复合凝胶体,使得固化体的胶结性能和密实程度进一步增强。     

基于新型单相MICP技术改性黏性土力学特性的试验研究

微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积(MICP)是一种绿色低碳的新型土体改性技术.该技术当前主要适用于渗透性较好的砂土,普遍使用两相处理方法,即菌液和胶结液分开施用.然而,对于渗透性相对较差的黏性土,传统的两相处理方法难以适用.为此,引入新的单相胶结方法,即菌液和胶结液混合施用,通过调节溶液的初始pH值为细菌水解作用提供窗口期,避免微生物絮凝阻塞孔隙,使混合液均匀分布于土体一定深度范围内,从而达到显著提升胶结效果的目的.利用喷洒法将混合液喷洒至土体表层进行MICP处理,处理完成后使用超微型贯入仪SMP-1测试土体表层不同深度处的结构强度,分析土体力学特性的空间差异,对土体的胶结效果进行定量评价.此外,探究了胶结液浓度(0.2M、0.5M和1.0M)及胶结方法(调节pH与否)对于土体结构强度及MICP改性效果的影响.结果表明:采用单相MICP技术对黏性土进行改性,能够显著提高其结构强度,具有较好的适用性;在不高于1.0 M的胶结液浓度范围内,黏性土的胶结效果随着胶结液浓度增加而提升;相比较而言,调节pH的单相胶结方法对于提升土体胶结的深度和均匀性有明显积极作用.新型单相MICP技术简单易行,能够节约成本,在黏性土表层加固方面具有潜在推广应用价值.     

微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积技术改性黄土结构强度试验研究

我国黄土地区的水土流失和地质灾害问题异常严重,这主要与黄土较差的工程地质性质有关.提出采用微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积(MICP)技术对黄土进行改性处理,以改善其力学性质.采用喷洒法的方式将制备好的微生物菌液和胶结液依次喷洒在土样表面进行MICP处理,基于贯入试验和碳酸钙含量测定试验,分析不同MICP胶结轮次(3次、5次、7次...     

微生物诱导碳酸盐在土体加固中的应用进展

微生物矿化是近年来在土体改良工程发展起来的一个新分支,主要研究微生物活性在改善土体颗粒特性方面的应用。微生物诱导碳酸盐沉积（MICP）是实现土体生物胶结最常用的方法之一,该技术借助脲酶菌的代谢行为诱导碳酸钙,将松散的砂颗粒胶结成整体,从而提高了土体的力学性能。文章系统性地介绍了MICP研究中的脲酶菌矿化机理、相关处理方法、影响因素、衍生新工艺脲酶诱导碳酸盐沉积EICP及MICP技术在岩土领域的相关现场试验,并对MICP的实用性进行了总结,最后简要讨论了现研究阶段MICP工程应用所面临的挑战和潜在解决方案。     

MICP联合纤维加筋改性钙质砂的动力特性研究

为了提高我国南海钙质砂地基的抗液化性能,提出利用微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积（MICP）技术联合纤维加筋技术对钙质砂进行改性处理。通过开展动三轴试验,对比分析了改性前后钙质砂试样的动应变、动孔压、应力−应变滞回曲线以及动弹性模量的发展规律和演化特征,并结合扫描电镜（SEM）试验探究了MICP和纤维加筋技术对钙质砂的联合改性机制。研究结果表明：（1）MICP技术可以明显改善钙质砂试样的抗变形与抗液化性能,相比于未胶结处理试样,仅MICP处理试样的动应变和动孔压分别降低了95.74% 和 92.46%;（2）纤维的掺入进一步提升了MICP的改性效果,相比于仅MICP处理试样,MICP和纤维加筋联合处理试样的动应变和动孔压分别降低了 74.32%和 74.18%;（3）MICP 和纤维加筋技术通过减轻试样在循环荷载作用下的循环活动强度和能量耗散、提高试样的动弹性模量和减小动弹性模量的衰减速率,从而实现试样抗变形与抗液化性能的显著提高;（4）SEM 试验分析结果表明,MICP 与纤维对钙质砂动力特性的改善具有协同作用。纤维的掺入为细菌提供了更多的附着场所,促进了碳酸钙晶体的生成量,该部分碳酸钙不仅增加了颗粒间的胶结强度,同时也将纤维固定在砂颗粒上增强了纤维网的约束作用。     

Retarding effect of concentration of cementation solution on biocementation of soil

Concentration of cementation solution (CCS) is one of the key factors influencing the cementation effect on soil improvement through the microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) process. To precipitate more calcium carbonate per treatment, a higher CCS is needed. However, the MICP process may be retarded or even terminated with an increase in CCS. This retarding effect can be a major limitation for the MICP-based soil treatment and thus needs to be understood properly. This paper presents a systematic study on the conditions causing retarding and its effect on biocementation. The test results of this study have identified that there is retarding effect of CCS on the MICP process, showing that the calcium conversion efficiency, which represents the amount of calcium that has been converted into calcium carbonate in each treatment, reduces with the increase in CCS, and the concentration of calcium is the control factor. The retarding effect will dominate increasingly when CCS is higher than 1.0 M and the amount of calcium carbonate precipitation will reduce for the given amount and type of bacteria used in this study and become zero with CCS of 2.5 M. For the same calcium carbonate content, the unconfined compressive strength is greater for sand treated using a lower CCS as the contribution to the bonding strength by the calcium carbonate generated under a lower CCS is greater than that under a higher CCS.

     

颗粒粒径对微生物固化砂土强度影响的试验研究

微生物固化技术（MICP）是岩土工程领域新兴起的一种不良地基处理技术,不同地基土体之间的颗粒粒径并不相同,其固化效果也可能存在一定差别。选用3种不同颗粒粒径范围的砂土进行微生物固化处理,并基于无侧限抗压强度试验、孔隙体积测量和洗酸处理,从宏观角度分析颗粒粒径对微生物固化效果的影响。结合扫描电镜测试,从细观角度对微生物固化机制进行了初探。研究结果表明,微生物固化砂土中碳酸钙晶体以颗粒簇形式堆积在砂土颗粒表面及颗粒间接触处,其尺寸随碳酸钙晶体堆叠程度的增加而增大;对于颗粒粒径较小的砂土,颗粒间孔隙较易被碳酸钙晶体填充密实,固化试样内有效碳酸钙晶体比例较大,“结构性”较强,无侧限抗压强度较高。     

Discrete element method simulations of bio-cemented sands

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a novel soil improvement method. In this paper, 3-D discrete element method (DEM) simulations are used to explore the behavior of MICP-cemented sands. Comparisons of the macro-scale response of numerical and physical specimens are made. Microstructure analyses indicate a shear band formed in the numerical specimens, consistent with physical experiments. The bond breakage pattern in numerical specimens is explored and compared to observed measurements from physical specimens. The relationship between dilatancy and stress-strain behavior is evaluated. The results indicate DEM is an effective technique to capture the mechanical behavior of MICP-cemented sand.     

Discrete element modeling of shear wave propagation in carbonate precipitate–cemented particles

Bioremediation is widely used to improve ground soil by introducing calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). Shear wave velocity (Vs) is usually adopted to evaluate effect but the microscopic mechanism is unclear. The discrete element method (DEM), a promising tool for simulating the behaviors of cohesive and noncohesive materials, was used in this study to simulate Vs evolution and wave propagation path of sand reinforced by calcite precipitates. Two basic calcite precipitate forms are proposed for representing individual calcite precipitation (CaCO₃-P) and calcite aggregation (CaCO₃-C). Contact cementation between adjacent sand grain pairs was the primary association pattern for calcite precipitates at a low calcite content. At a higher calcite content, the preferential shear wave propagation pathway is the clusters cemented by CaCO₃-C. With calcite content increasing from 0 to 9%, the coordination number and average contact force increased. Vs increased from 169.73 to 2132.64 m/s but had high variability due to the spatial distribution. The results suggest that the calibrated DEM model can elucidate the microscopic mechanisms and evaluate the enhancement effect of microorganism-reinforced soil.

     

基于石灰石粉钙源的微生物固化砂土试验研究

微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积（MICP）作用是一种新型的土体改良技术。钙源作为MICP反应中重要的反应物,对微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积的效果有重要的影响。目前应用最广泛的钙源——氯化钙（CaCl2）,具有成本高,环境污染性大的缺点。为此,文章提出利用石灰石粉提取钙源,通过在石灰石粉中加入乙酸溶液,释放钙离子用于微生物固化土体。通过开展无侧限抗压强度试验以及微观结构的扫描电镜观测、碳酸钙含量测定等分析,验证利用石灰石粉提取的钙源用于微生物诱导碳酸钙沉积作用固化土体的可行性,同时与醋酸钙和氯化钙固化砂柱进行了对比分析。研究结果表明：（1）石灰石粉用于微生物固化土体具有可行性,固化后砂柱的强度和碳酸钙含量较高,结构完整性高;（2）不同钙源固化砂柱的力学特性不同但均呈典型的脆性破坏模式,其中醋酸钙固化砂柱的无侧限抗压强度略高于石灰石钙源固化砂柱,氯化钙固化砂柱的无侧限抗压强度则远低于前两者且表面更加粗糙,孔隙更多,破坏后的完整性更低;（3）不同钙源固化砂柱的碳酸钙含量不同。醋酸钙和石灰石钙源固化砂柱的碳酸钙含量相近,而氯化钙固化砂柱中碳酸钙含量较低。不同钙源固化砂柱的碳酸钙含量和无侧限抗压强度基本呈正相关关系;（4）醋酸钙和石灰石钙源固化砂柱中砂土颗粒的表面和接触点间均沉积大量碳酸钙,碳酸钙晶体主要为薄片状堆叠的方解石。氯化钙固化砂柱中碳酸钙沉积量低于前两者,碳酸钙晶体主要为六面体状的方解石;（5）不同钙源主要通过影响微生物成矿过程的晶型、晶貌、晶体含量、晶体分布及胶结特征来改变固化效果。     

Effect of activated carbon on microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation of sand

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a sustainable technique to transform or improve physical and mechanical properties of soils. This paper aims to study the effect of activated carbon (AC) on the property of bio-treated China Standard sand. Six sample groups were prepared considering various dosages of cementation solutions and bacterial suspensions. In each group, samples were prepared at six different AC ratios (0%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3% by weight of sand). Bacterial retention ability, calcium carbonate mass, unconfined compression strength (UCS), and microstructures of bio-treated samples were examined and evaluated in the presence of AC. It was found that the improved yield of calcium carbonate crystals and increased UCS were correlated to the enhanced bacterial retention ability attributed to AC. In addition, the test results showed that the amount of cementation solution played an important role in the MICP process, but volume variation of the bacterial suspension had a little effect on the bio-treated samples.     

Piles in fully liquefied soils with lateral spread

The paper provides a new analysis procedure for the assessment of the lateral response of isolated piles/drilled shafts in saturated sands as liquefaction and lateral soil spread develop in response to dynamic loading such as that generated by the earthquake shaking. The presented method accounts for: (1) the development of full liquefaction in the free-field soil that could trigger the lateral spread of the overlying crust layer; (2) the driving force exerted by the crust layer based on the interaction between the pile and the upper non-liquefied soil (crust) layer; and (3) the variation of the excess pore water pressure (i.e. post-liquefaction soil strength) in the near-field soil with the progressive pile deflection under lateral soil spread driving force. A constitutive model for fully liquefied sands under monotonic loading and undrained conditions is developed in order to predict the zone of post-liquefaction zero-strength of liquefied sand before it rebounds with the increasing soil strain in the near-field. The analytical and empirical concepts employed in the Strain Wedge (SW) model allow the modeling of such a sophisticated phenomenon of lateral soil spread that could accompany or follow the occurrence of seismic events without using modifying parameters or shape corrections to account for soil liquefaction.     

Shear Modulus and Damping Ratio of Organic Soils

The paper presents results from a laboratory investigation into the dynamic properties of natural intact and model organic soils by means of resonant-column tests. The natural intact organic soils were sands, cohesive soils and peats with varying content of calcium carbonate. The model organic soils were formed in laboratory by mixing kaolinite and paper pulp. The influence of various soil parameters, such as strain level, confining stress, void ratio, plasticity index, organic content and secondary consolidation time on shear modulus, G, and damping ratio, DT, is presented and discussed. The test results on natural organic soils show that only high organic contents (OC ≥ 25%) have significant influence on G and DT at both small and high shear strains. For the model organic soils, however, a significant influence of even lower values of organic content (5% ≤ OC ≤ 20%) on G at small strains and DT at both small and high strains is observed.