Strength and rainfall-induced erosion resistance of bio-cemented soil slopes

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Publication Title
Strength and rainfall-induced erosion resistance of bio-cemented soil slopes

Abstract
Rainfall-induced soil erosion in hilly regions is considered a significant geohazard due to its potential to cause substantial damage to infrastructure and human settlement. Soil improvement through microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) using native bacterial strain is a novel approach that can alleviate concerns regarding this issue. The current study presents the soil improvement potential of a native urease-producing bacterial strain isolated from the slope failure region of Uttarakhand, India. The strength improvement and erosion resistance of treated soil were investigated through unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and rainfall-induced erosion tests, respectively. Further, the durability of the treatment was confirmed through the wet-dry cycle of the treated soils. The test results exhibited an enhancement in soil strength due to the binding of soil grains with precipitated calcite crystals. The rainfall simulation test revealed a significant reduction in soil mass loss after the MICP treatment, which was confirmed through microscopic investigations. Interestingly, the treated soil samples showed negligible soil erosion even after subjecting the samples to seven wet-dry cycles.
Authors
R. Devrani; Prashanth Vangla; S. Sharma

Published In

18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ECSMGE2024)

Theme

B - Geohazards

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