Use of xanthan gum produced by a bacteria to reduce the soil permeability
Use of xanthan gum produced by a bacteria to reduce the soil permeability
The construction of Civil Engineering structures on some soils requires their stabilization. Portland cement as a stabilizing agent presents many environmental concerns, so it is fundamental to find sustainable alternatives for soil stabilization in the construction field. Thus, this work analyzes the ability of the xanthan gum-like biopolymer, produced by the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain Faro439 (LabXG), to reduce the permeability of a sandy soil. In addition, the effectiveness of this LabXG is compared with the use of a commercial xanthan gum (XG) and Portland cement for different hydraulic gradients and curing times. The results of permeability tests show that the treatment with any type of XG can be used to replace cement in the short term (cure time of less than 14 days), although a higher level of effectiveness is obtained with the use of commercial XG due to its higher level of purity. SEM images show that treating the soil with LabXG creates a mesh of fibers that bind the soil particles together, while commercial XG fills the voids with a homogeneous paste.
A. Mendonca; Paulo Jose Venda Oliveira; Paulo Morais; A. P. Chung
18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ECSMGE2024)
D - Current and new construction methods
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