Influence of Fungal Mycelium on Desiccation Cracking in Expansive Soils
Influence of Fungal Mycelium on Desiccation Cracking in Expansive Soils
This study investigates the potential of fungal mycelium to mitigate desiccation cracking in expansive soils, a common issue caused by evaporation-induced volumetric shrinkage, which negatively impacts the stability of geotechnical structures. We hypothesize that the engineered growth of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia, a 3D network of moisture-regulating biofibers could reduce or remediate cracks in clayey soils. Fungal slurry was applied either on the soil surface or mixed uniformly with clayey soil and subjected to controlled drying for 120 hours. Air temperature, humidity, water content changes, and crack propagation were monitored. The results showed that soil samples mixed with fungal slurry retained a higher amount of their initial water content, recorded a lower evaporation rate, delayed crack appearance, and reduced the overall crack length per unit area, compared to the untreated and surface-treated samples. These findings suggest that fungal mycelium offers a promising solution for controlling soil desiccation cracking.
Adesola Habeeb Adegoke; Yasen Kashour; Saleh Alothman; Claudia Zapata; Emmanuel Salifu
2025 International Conference on Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (ICBBG2025)
Special symposium: Fungal treatment of soils
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICBBG2025-73
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