Microbial Ground Improvement for Sustainable Construction Processes and Challenges

Abstract

Civilization is disturbing the balance of the earth. Sustainable construction material with economy is a need of the hour. The environmental and sustainability issues related with concrete and other construction chemicals necessitate better alternative approach in the construction industry. Exciting opportunities for bio-geological processes to modify the engineering properties of the soil have been recently emerged in the field of geotechnical engineering. This bio improvement method has additionally been viewed as valuable in many designing applications like improvement of engineering properties of materials, cementation of permeable media, improvement in strength and firmness of soil and concrete. liquefaction, and disintegration moderations. This paper presents an overview of bio-geological ground improvement systems, research advancements and challenges for field application in the construction industry. A milestone achieved in the worldwide research has been highlighted and the effect of biological intervention on the properties of soil overviewed. Processes and challenges of this novel technique are highlighted. Finally, the major challenges like optimization of the processes and scale up applications are briefly discussed.