Soil reinforcement by biocementation

Some years ago, it was proposed a new method to solve pathologies related to the
aging of hydraulic structures (dikes and levees), especially seismic hazard and
internal erosion. This is a problem of concern in France, mainly because several of
these structures in the country are 50 or more years old and some aging
pathologies are appearing.
This new method consists in reinforcement of soils using biological means. Based on
the generation of bacteria, which help to create calcite reinforcements between
particles and consequently improving mechanical and physical soil properties.
Different efforts were made to encourage research in this field, one was the Second
International Workshop en Bio-Soils Engineering and interaction which was held at
the University of Cambridge in September 2011 and more recently, the creation of
the BOREAL project (2014-2017) an assembly of several companies, research
laboratories and others, which will focus on the application of bio-calcification on
hydraulic structures with a existing hydraulic gradient that are in risk of failure by
erosion, mostly internal erosion.

Bio-mediated soil improvement

Potentially, this new paradigm can revolutionize the way that we analyze soils from
a mechanical point or chemical point of view. For this reason, a multidisciplinary
approach is needed, biological, chemical and mechanically speaking.
Beforehand, it is noticeable that an development strategy is required. The two
primary ways to proceed are:

Bio-augmentation: Microbes need to be injected into the soil (strategy used

by Soletanche Bachy).
o Generally, this strategy is considered less favorable because of the
introduction of non-native microbes, high cost, difficult uniform
application and probable die-off if the environment is not favorable.
o According to SB Company, its product is capable to use micron-size
bacteria, a close to water viscosity biomass and to reach calcification
within a few days thanks to the use of a calcifying solution.
Bio-stimulation: Origin microbes are stimulated
o Generally considered as a favorable strategy, mainly because of the
bacterium best adaptability to their subsurface environment.

However this strategy has also some limitations like: non-uniform

treatment across the surface and an increased application time due to
the stimulation process.

Mainly, throughout this preliminary research, it will be considered Bio-mineralization

processes (among others like Bio-film formation, Bio-gas generation, etc).

Microbially induced calcite precipitation

MIPC is the main technique, a bio-geochemical process, used to induce calcium
carbonate precipitation. This process generates calcite bridges between particles
which allows soil improvement using a bacterial reactive grout. In the eighties it
was used to fix facades in historical monuments. The company that is developing
this procedure for its application on soil reinforcement, primary on hydraulic
structures in France, is Soletanche Bachy, using the product Biocalcis.

Some definitions

Calcite: It is a carbonate mineral, the most stable form of calcium carbonate.

Precipitation: Formation of a solid in a solution or inside another solid during a
chemical reaction.
Internal erosion: Main cause of failure in levees and earth dams. It is difficult
to detect because some signs that this type of failure presents are hidden
beneath the water.

Implementation protocol
Biocalcis has an established protocol of application:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Bacteria (Biomass) injection.

Product setting for fixation onto sand grains.
Calcifying medium injection (Urea/CaCl2-Calcium Chloride).
Product setting for allowing bio-calcification (24 to 48 hours)
By-products extraction and disposal

Advantages

If toxic by-products are controlled and efficiently disposed, this technique is

more environmentally friendly.
Applicable to soils within a large range of permeability (including sands with a
permeability coefficient of 10-4 to 10-5 m/s).
When applied on Fontainebleau sand:
o Improved mechanical resistance (50 to 250 Kpa).
o Cohesion after treatment increased (up to 70 KPa).
o Friction angle non-affected after treatment.

Negligible change in permeability.

Recent studies show that MICP might be self-equilibrating. This means that
considering soil heterogeneity, bacteria tend to act firstly in zones with higher
pore space and when the pore space in these zones is reduced, the bacteria
moves towards others zones with a higher pore space.

Limitations

Only applicable in the following type of soils: GW, GP, SW, SP, ML and organic
soils.
The bacteria needed for this process is not capable to enter pore throats
smaller than 0.4m. According to some information, the bacteria used by SB
are small enough in order to do not have any problems in this aspect.
The bigger the particle size, the more is the microbial abundance in the soil.
Only applicable to shallow depth soils, because of the bacteria incapability to
rearrange clay particles under high confinement stress.
Difficult uniformity while application in site.
Injection grid very weak-kneed

Liquefaction prevention

This technique has shown improvements in some mechanical and physical

properties of potentially liquefiable sand like: shear strength, confined
compressive strength, stiffness and liquefaction resistance. Mostly due to
point-to-point contacts of calcium carbonate crystals.
Tri-axial compression tests have shown an increase in shear strength by a
factor of 1.8 and a linear behavior up to the peak. Cemented material shows
brittle behavior around the peak stress.
Bacterial activity decreases as the distance from the injection increases.
There is a positive correlation between shear wave velocity and the amount
of precipitated calcite.