Effect of Sandy Soils for Enhancing Their Mechanical Qualities | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Nowadays, about one ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted for every ton of cement produced. Carbon dioxide is the main gas responsible by greenhouse effect, and for this reason it became necessary to find sustainable industrial processes. In case of cement use in Geotechnical applications, it can be interesting to replace traditional techniques of soil stabilization mixing soils with cement, such as jet grouting. Microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a green and sustainable technique that improves the geotechnical properties of soil through the precipitation of calcite at soil particles contacts and has the potential to be used as an alternative. This paper presents the main results found in the study on the MICP technique applied to sandy soils, performed in IST for the first time. The main purpose of the study was to define an adequate experimental setup to put into practice this new technique and to identify the best conditions to take a maximum production of calcite. Adding to that, the unconfined compression resistance obtained in tests of specimens treated through MICP treatment and that found for specimens prepared with cement were measured and compared in order to understand the potential use of this new technique.