Review of Enzyme-Induced Calcite Precipitation as Enhancement Technique for Weak Soils
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29194/NJES.29020218Keywords:
Bio-cementation, Urease Enzyme, Environmental Technique, Engineering PropertiesAbstract
A rapidly expanding global population has heightened the need for engineering technologies aimed to enhancing the mechanical properties of weak soil, raising concerns about the sustainability of engineering practices that depend on energy-intensive materials and methods from earlier times. Traditional ground improvement techniques like compaction, preloading, vibration, and chemical grouting are typically costly and frequently have very high energy and CO2 footprints. Soil stabilization employing bio-enzymes has been viewed as a resilient and ecologically beneficial method for modifying the soil characteristics. Calcite-induced precipitation methods have recently become potential techniques in geotechnical engineering for improving the shear strength of soils. One of the most promising methods among them is enzyme-induced calcite precipitation (EICP). Enzyme induced calcite precipitation (EICP) is a bio-inspired technique based on the precipitation of calcium carbonate for enhancing the geo-mechanical properties of soils. In this technique, calcium carbonate acts as a cementitious agent that binds the soil particles together at the points of contact hence, increasing the strength and stiffness of treated soils, while relatively reducing the soil permeability and porosity. The achieved enhancements make EICP useful for applications such as ground improvement, construction materials, and erosion control over traditional binders. It is an environmental friendly technique that has generated great interest to geotechnical engineers. EICP particularly, has proven to be more effective since its application to all soils coarse and fine which have small pore size. This review thoroughly assesses the use of the EICP approach as a soil stabilization strategy conducted by various researchers. This review article studies urease and its implication on the characteristics of treated soil such as shear strength, permeability and micro-structural changes.
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