Bio-cementation by using microbially induced carbonate precipitation technique by using sporosarcina pasteurii with oxidizing agent supplements

Abstract

In recent years, the natural biomineralization of bacterial metabolism to form calcium carbonate has drawn researchers and engineers' attention to exploring various applications for industrial purposes. Generally, microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a biogeochemical process that can be applied to strengthen materials, including soil and sand structure, to overcome the chemical soil stabilization technique's limitations. In this study, Sporosarcina pasteurii was used to form CaCO₃ by ureolytic MICP for soil-sand reinforcement in LAB-scale. As preliminary results, the increasing of CaCO₃ crystals over curing time was an essential parameter for creating strong bonding between the soil-sand particles. Besides, the positive results in the water permeability test with the materials analysis as SEM, XRD demonstrated bacterial bio-cementation of sand specimens. Also, experimental results about oxidizing agent supplements show a positive effect on improving MICP capacity. Despite many challenges, bio-mineralization or bio-cementation is a promising technique for soil-sand stabilization in geotechnical engineering and building material applications, leading to sustainable development.