Influence of the Grouting Parameters on Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation for Soil Stabilization

Abstract

As a novel, nature-like biomineralization process, microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) has been successfully applied in soil stabilization. This study investigated the influence of biomass injected on the geotechnical performance of MICP treated sand. Grouting rate and particle sizes were also taken into account. The results showed that the injection of 1.0 or 1.2 PV biological solution achieved the most effective and uniform reinforcement of soil, depending on the grouting rate. Excessive biomass (1.5 PV biological solution) failed to promote the further improvement of the engineering performance of MICP reinforced sand. The relationship between strength and calcium carbonate content and SEM results indicated that for the small CaCO3 content, the improvement of soil strength is mainly controlled by the content of calcium carbonate rather than its distribution. When the amount of carbonate precipitation is sufficient to form bonding between soil particles, the distribution of calcium carbonate has a greater influence on mechanical properties. The strength of biocemented soil measured by layering indicated that the insufficient amount of biological solution (such as 0.5 PV biological solution) greatly weakened the reinforcement effect of soil away from the grouting port, and thus led to larger strength variability. Increasing the grouting rate of biological solution improved the uniformity of reinforcement, especially for medium grain sand. The results of this study provide a guide to facilitate the application of microorganisms in the engineering application practice of MICP.