Collaborative Research: Enhancement of Vertical Elements for Foundation Support by Ureolytic Carbonate Precipitation

该合作项目的目的是探索尿素分解方解石沉淀作为提高砂和粉土地基垂直支撑元件能力的实用方法的潜力。 加强垂直元素的基础支持有望作为第一个实际应用的生物诱导碳酸盐沉淀在岩土工程。 这项工作的一个关键因素是探索使用农业来源的脲酶作为方解石沉淀的催化剂，而不是迄今为止报道的所有方解石沉淀研究中使用的微生物来源的脲酶。 增强垂直基础支撑元件所需的改良区的有限范围缓解了与通过诱导碳酸盐沉淀而使土壤质量稳定相关的问题。 农业来源的脲酶的使用可以进一步减轻在质量稳定中遇到的一些问题，并将可以通过诱导碳酸盐沉淀而稳定的土壤范围扩展到淤泥大小的颗粒范围。 该项目的主要影响与生物介导的地面改良的实际应用的发展有关。开发该技术的实际应用（生物介导的碳酸盐沉淀）是一项潜在的变革性成就，加速了地球化学地基改良技术的发展，并推动了新兴的地球化学工程领域的进一步创新发展。将生物介导的碳酸盐沉淀的适用性扩展到粉砂大小的颗粒范围，本身也将对岩土工程的广泛领域和新兴的岩土工程子学科产生广泛的影响。 该项目还将通过研究生研究助理的支持，特别是通过培训和教育新的研究人员，使他们了解并能够胜任传统岩土工程研究中通常不采用的岩土工程技术和程序，为岩土工程专业人员的培训和教育做出贡献。

The objective of this collaborative project is to explore the potential of ureolytic calcite precipitation as a practical means of improving the capacity of vertical support elements for foundations in sands and silts. Enhancement of vertical elements for foundation support holds promise as the first practical application of biologically induced carbonate precipitation in geotechnical engineering. A key element of the work is exploring the use of agriculturally-derived urease enzyme as the catalyst for calcite precipitation rather than microbially-derived urease employed in all calcite precipitation studies reported to date. The limited extent of the improvement zone required to enhance vertical foundation support elements mitigates problems associated with mass stabilization of soil by induced carbonate precipitation. The use of agriculturally-derived urease can further mitigate some of the problems encountered in mass stabilization and extend the range of soils that can be stabilized by induced carbonate precipitation into the silt-sized particle range. The primary broader impact of this project is associated with the development of a practical application of bio-mediated ground improvement. Developing a practical application for this technology (bio-mediated carbonate precipitation) is a potentially transformative accomplishment, accelerating the development of biogeochemical ground improvement techniques and motivating further innovative developments in the emerging field of biogeotechnical engineering. Extending the applicability of bio-mediated carbonate precipitation into the silt-sized particle range would also have, in and of itself, a broad impact on both the broad field of geotechnical engineering and the emerging sub-discipline of biogeotechnical engineering. The project will also make contributions to training and education of geotechnical professional through support of graduate student research assistants and, in particular, through training and education of new researchers knowledgeable and competent in the techniques and procedures employed in biogeotechnical engineering that are not usually employed in traditional geotechnical research.