An Investigation on the Effect of Calcite Bacteria Seeding on Shear Strength of Peat Soil via an Unconfined Compression Test

Abstract

Peat soils have been known for their problematic characteristics which include high water content, high compressibility and low shear strength. In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the effect of 1 week addition of modified Urea-CaCl2liquid medium with and withoutSporosarcina pasteuriion the shear strength of unsterilized dried peat soil using the Unconfined Compression Test. After the treatment period, significant increase in the shear strength of the soil was found to be highest for peat + medium at 42 kN/m2, moderate for peat + medium +Sporosarcina pasteuriiat 27 kN/m2and unchanged for peat + water control at 24 kN/m2. Although the growth dynamics of all the microbes involved in the calcite formation in the treated peat soil were not known, the addition of the modified Urea-CaCl2liquid medium into the soil clearly had contributed to the marked increased in the shear strength of the soil. It is probable that the medium had promoted a better growth of indigenous calcite bacteria population in the soil which may have been suppressed by the slow growingS. pasteuriipopulation being added daily to the soil