Bioremediation of Desiccation Cracking in Clayey Soils Using Enzyme Induced Calcite Precipitation

TY - JOUR

T1 - Bioremediation of Desiccation Cracking in Clayey Soils Using Enzyme Induced Calcite Precipitation

AU - Roksana, Kaniz

AU - Hewage, Shaini Aluthgun

AU - Montalbo-Lomboy, Melissa

AU - Tang, Chao Sheng

AU - Zhu, Cheng

AU - Xue, Wei

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © ASCE.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Desiccation cracking in expansive soils is critical to their hydraulic and mechanical properties and affects the long-term performance of various geotechnical infrastructure. In recent years, bio-mediated methods such as bio-cementation have been explored as a possible approach for ground improvement. This study explores the potential of using Enzyme Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) for desiccation cracking remediation in clayey soils. EICP uses biologically derived material (plant-based urease enzyme) without requiring bacteria incubation. In this study, crude extract from soybean (Glycine max) is used for urea hydrolysis. Three different enzyme concentrations (10, 30, and 50 g/L) are used to evaluate the effect of calcite precipitation on desiccation crack. According to the analysis of soil cracking images, this technique significantly induces calcite precipitations and effectively reduces the extent of desiccation cracking in clayey soils. The EICP-treated sample demonstrated that the crack area, crack width, and crack length decrease for the higher concentration of urease enzyme with the increasing W-D cycle. The lower concentrations (10 g/L) have minor effects on crack remediation but effectively limit the growth of new cracks. Moreover, when the enzyme concentration increases, calcium carbonate precipitations tend to form a crust on the soil surface, gradually increasing soil surface roughness. This study is expected to improve the fundamental understanding of the EICP technique and provide new insights into its potential application for soil improvement.

AB - Desiccation cracking in expansive soils is critical to their hydraulic and mechanical properties and affects the long-term performance of various geotechnical infrastructure. In recent years, bio-mediated methods such as bio-cementation have been explored as a possible approach for ground improvement. This study explores the potential of using Enzyme Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP) for desiccation cracking remediation in clayey soils. EICP uses biologically derived material (plant-based urease enzyme) without requiring bacteria incubation. In this study, crude extract from soybean (Glycine max) is used for urea hydrolysis. Three different enzyme concentrations (10, 30, and 50 g/L) are used to evaluate the effect of calcite precipitation on desiccation crack. According to the analysis of soil cracking images, this technique significantly induces calcite precipitations and effectively reduces the extent of desiccation cracking in clayey soils. The EICP-treated sample demonstrated that the crack area, crack width, and crack length decrease for the higher concentration of urease enzyme with the increasing W-D cycle. The lower concentrations (10 g/L) have minor effects on crack remediation but effectively limit the growth of new cracks. Moreover, when the enzyme concentration increases, calcium carbonate precipitations tend to form a crust on the soil surface, gradually increasing soil surface roughness. This study is expected to improve the fundamental understanding of the EICP technique and provide new insights into its potential application for soil improvement.

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U2 - 10.1061/9780784484708.057

DO - 10.1061/9780784484708.057

M3 - Conference article

SN - 0895-0563

VL - 2023-March

SP - 603

EP - 613

JO - Geotechnical Special Publication

JF - Geotechnical Special Publication

IS - GSP 343

T2 - 2023 Geo-Congress: Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions from the Ground Up - Geotechnical Systems from Pore-Scale to City-Scale

Y2 - 26 March 2023 through 29 March 2023

ER -