Unconfined Compression Behaviour of Silty Sand treated with Pleurotus Ostreatus
Unconfined Compression Behaviour of Silty Sand treated with Pleurotus Ostreatus
Recent research has proposed the use of fungal hyphae for ground improvement due to its ability to modify soil behaviour including (1) inducing water repellency, (2) enhancing soil cohesion, and (3) reducing soil erodibility. Studies to date have focused on treating sands and have relied upon provision of the fungal inoculum and/or nutrient in solid form. This study explores fungal treatment of a silty sand, representing a more realistic soil composition. The objectives of this study are to: (1) investigate the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus in silty sand, (2) investigate liquid delivery of fungi and nutrients, which may facilitate easier deployment in the field, (3) test a non-commercial nutrient source for Pleurotus ostreatus, and (4) assess geotechnical behaviour of fungal treated silty sand via Unconfined Compression (UC) tests. Results show that Pleurotus ostreatus treatment can enhance the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of silty sand. Samples prepared with a liquid fungal suspension and malt extract broth (MEB) nutrient source, increased the UCS of silty sand columns from 0.34 kPa to 3.87 kPa, supporting fungal treatment as a potential sustainable soil improvement method.
Benedek Nagy; Qi Zhang; A. Tarantino; Grainne El Mountassir
2025 International Conference on Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (ICBBG2025)
Special symposium: Fungal treatment of soils
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICBBG2025-94
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