Modelling Biogrout: A New Ground Improvement Method Based on Microbial-Induced Carbonate Precipitation

Abstract

Biogrout is a new soil reinforcement method based on microbial-induced carbonate precipitation. Bacteria are placed and reactants are flushed through the soil, resulting in calcium carbonate precipitation, causing an increase in strength and stiffness of the soil. Due to this precipitation, the porosity of the soil decreases. The decreasing porosity influences the permeability and therefore the flow. To analyse the Biogrout process, a model was created that describes the process. The model contains the concentrations of the dissolved species that are present in the biochemical reaction. These concentrations can be solved from a advection–dispersion–reaction equation with a variable porosity. Other model equations involve the bacteria, the solid calcium carbonate concentration, the (decreasing) porosity, the flow and the density of the fluid. The density of the fluid changes due to the biochemical reactions, which results in density driven flow. The partial differential equations are solved by the Standard Galerkin finite-element method. Simulations are done for some 1D and 2D configurations. A 1D configuration can be used to model a column experiment and a 2D configuration may correspond to a sheet or a cross section of a 3D configuration.