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SUMMARY:Bio-soil Interaction and Engineering: Microbial Carbonate Precipit
 ation - Ahmed Al Qabany\, CUED
DTSTART:20101119T160000Z
DTEND:20101119T170000Z
UID:TALK26413@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Zelda Stuck
DESCRIPTION:With rising interest in the use of bio-technologies in geotech
 nical engineering\, an increasing number of researchers have been explorin
 g their use for different applications. In this talk the use of an innovat
 ive biological technology\, namely microbial carbonate precipitation (MCP)
  will be discussed. The precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in sand
  results in its cementation which could be utilized in numerous applicatio
 ns such as slope stability\, facilitating excavation and tunnelling\, soil
  improvement against soil liquefaction\, and foundation settlement reducti
 on.\nFactors such as concentrations of chemical reactants required for the
  process to happen (calcium and carbon sources)\, their input rate and how
  to introduce them to the targeted areas were studied. It was found that b
 elow a chemical input rate of 0.042 mole/litre/hr\, the process efficiency
  would be over 90%. However\, SEM images showed that the calcite precipita
 tion pattern is affected by the injected concentration. \nThe use of the b
 io-cementation process in soil improvement\, modification of soil hydrauli
 c properties\, and carbon dioxide mineral sequestration was also studied. 
 Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and permeability experiments were co
 nducted for samples during cementation\, and strength and permeability wer
 e correlated with the amount of precipitation. It was found that the resul
 ts also varied with the use of different chemical concentrations.\n An ove
 rview of the process as well as the results produced in the topic over the
  past three years will be presented. Furthermore\, the main question of wh
 ether this bio-chemical process could actually provide sustainable environ
 mental-friendly solutions for different geotechnical domains will be discu
 ssed.\n\n
LOCATION:Engineering Department - Lecture Room - LR4
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