Forming a cemented crust in sloped sand with enzyme induced carbonate precipitation
Forming a cemented crust in sloped sand with enzyme induced carbonate precipitation
Enzyme Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP) is a novel biogeotechnical ground improvement technique in which calcium carbonate is precipitated to form a weakly cemented soil. The technique uses the hydrolysis of urea catalyzed by plant-derived free urease enzyme. An EICP application in development is the mitigation of rainfall-induced erosion in sloped sandy soil by creating a cemented crust. In bench-scale tests and small field trials in native sand, significant runoff of the treatment solution happened before it could percolate. The outcome was a thinner, less cemented crust than intended and waste of treatment materials because the solution did not percolate completely. The paper discusses the experimental observations and lessons for developing this EICP application, including the thickness of the cemented crust, calcium carbonate content, and strength of the cemented crust in sloped sand specimens.
Emilia Marmolejo; Noah A. Madrigal; P. Bandini
2025 International Conference on Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (ICBBG2025)
General session: Bio-inspired methods for infrastructure construction
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICBBG2025-160
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