BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

(A simple and economical development using local resources)

By
Nitin Sreenivasan
Blue Bonds
229, Rasta Peth, Pune 411011,
Maharashtra, India.

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 BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

Preface to soil stabilization:

Background of soil stabilization:

Soil stabilization is an important part of any structure constructed on earth so it becomes a vital
aspect of any development and progress. Cost effective soil stabilization has been an integral
part of any construction since the bygone years. In some cases construction has been rendered
in futile due to the high cost of soil stabilization. All soils have to be stabilized prior to any kind of
construction. Common methods of stabilizing using diminishing stabilizing agents are getting
costly. The depletion of stabilizing materials used is giving the prices an exponential curve.

Over the years various kinds of methods for soil stabilization were used some were successful in
some conditions and provided indifferent results in some conditions. Soil stabilization is very
difficult and complex for countries of vast sizes like India due to its inherent climatic conditions
and different soil types. A standard approach to stabilization is difficult to follow in various
conditions and areas. This in effect puts a big question mark on the tolerance level of available
techniques with cost effectiveness. This paper tries to bond all types of soil through their common
constituent, try and target common entity to get a stabilizing solution, which will be a standard
approach and will also be very cost effective.

Methods involved and drawbacks:

The level and sophistication developed countries can achieve is due to their huge budget for
research and development. Methods and level employed in India are relatively low to the
methods employed in developed countries. Common methods utilized for soil stabilization in India
are lime and cement stabilization, electrolytic flocculation, sand and gravel mix etc. Pillaring of
clay, delaminating of clay are more specific approach to stabilize clay. A relatively new approach
is the bio enzymatic soil stabilization. The idea behind all the above approaches is to make the
soil useful for construction; any change later in the character of the soil will have a very
detrimental effect on the structure built on it. Lime and cement stabilization is not able to give a
complete and satisfactory performance in high clay soils, lime and cement matrix forms brittle
structures with low flexural strength and they fracture and crack under constant and repetitive
loading as it acts here as a low grade concrete. Also moisture content in the soil causes high
shrinkage cracks in the stabilizing matrix. Generally cement or lime used to stabilize can go up to
25 percentage of the weight of the soil to form a stabilized matrix, which is very expensive.

Future of soil stabilization:

Similar drawbacks in common methods are turning engineers towards new methods. Bio
enzymatic soil stabilization is now gaining tremendous ground and now has a universal approval
with institutions like WHO and UNESCO. The main feature of bio enzyme soil stabilization is that
it uses no foreign stabilizing material. This very aspect opens a great opportunity to improve soil
stabilization process with an effective cost reduction in the overall process. Bio enzyme holds the
most promising key for a developing country like India what we get is stupendous savings in time,
energy and finances. A better understanding of this emerging technology is of utmost importance
to exploit any improvement it can offer to better our well being and surroundings.

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 BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

Bio enzymes in soil stabilization:

Clay an important part of soil:

The term soil as used herein refers to in its scope all unconsolidated material above bedrock. Soil
may also normally contain fines, which may be considered to be plastic material comprising
mainly of particles having diameters less than 0.074 mm (i.e. silt) and also particles less than
0.002 mm (i.e. clay). Such particles maybe colloidal particles and thus maybe considered to be a
loose, earthy extremely fine grained natural sediment or soft rock characterized by high plasticity
and by a considerable content of clay minerals. Clay minerals are of a complex and loosely
defined group of finely crystalline, colloidal, amorphous or hydrous silicates essentially of
aluminum and sometimes of magnesium and iron. Clay forms a very important part of a bio
enzyme solution. Clay forms 0.5 and higher percentage of the soil, 0.5 to 10 percentage of clay
does not hamper the basic strength of the soil, anything above 10 percentages is usually not
readily appropriate for building structures. Clay particles may form a plastic moldable mass when
finely ground and mixed with water, which retains its shape on drying and becomes permanently
hard on heating. This aspect of clay is used to stabilize soil using bio enzymes. When properly
controlled clay particles can be made to act permanently as crystalline macro structures with little
or no change in volume to the influence of water.

Clays inherent behavior:

Clay behaves as a plastic material when it is in humid conditions this is due to the large surface
area of clay because of a number of micro pores and crevices; it absorbs the anion part of higher
valent metal salts, these absorbed ions acts on the clay particle and makes it act as a charged
shell which absorbs a layer of water on itself. This layer of absorbed water permanently remains
on the clay particle called as static water this gives clay its plasticity. This charged layers of clay
and static water forms a double layer (similar to graphite). As these layers increase more and
more static water is adsorbed this in turn cause a great volume change in the clay structure that
in turn directly affects the structure built on it.

What are bio enzymes?

Bio enzymes are catalytic enzymes that speed up chemical reactions they work extremely fast in
anaerobic or aerobic aqueous environment. Many materials change their form over a period of
time but transformations that would take years are accomplished within a fraction of a second
with the appropriate catalyst. Enzymes are protein molecules that speed up chemical reactions
some enzymes break down complex compound to form simpler ones, while others build complex
compounds from simpler ones. A single enzyme can perform its entire function a million times a
minute therefore chemical reactions occur thousands and millions of time faster with an enzyme.

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 BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

Bio enzymes in soil stabilization:

Bio enzyme as a stabilizer of clay:

A bio enzyme during soil stabilization breaks down the electric double layer between the clay and
static water. By this the clay particles looses its inherent charge and looses the adhered static
water layer. In this mechanism the clay particles segregate and are so fixed crystallographically
that it prevents any further volume changes on exposure to water.

The other aspect of bio enzymes of the newly developed variety is to block the micro pores in the
clay particles which gives it a large surface area and crevices for anions to attach itself this
prevents the clay particle from forming any further double layers. These larger aggregates that
are segregated together to form macromolecules are bound together chemically. This chemical
bond is relatively more flexible than that formed by cement and lime stabilization hence can take
increased repetitive loading constantly.

Since all or most of the plant extracted enzymes are produced by fermentation process, that
utilizes microorganisms to produce enzymes, they always have many materials which reduce
voids in the soil they also help to maintain the moisture balance in the soil thus it results in a
substantial cost savings on watering of the stabilized soil. This water retaining capacity not only
bonds the soil but also greatly reduces the suspended particulate matter in the surrounding area
of an unpaved road.

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 BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

Mechanics and working of bio enzymes:

Better prevents rutting:
Bio enzymes have been in the market for some years now. Previously bio enzymes only broke
down the double layer and reduced porosity by insoluble crystal growth in the crevices or micro
pores. A new breed of bio enzymes developed recently not only breaks the double layer and
reduces porosity in a more synthetic way but also chemically bonds the macrostructures thus
formed into a single net like structure thus the macro structures act as cells in the net which are
bound together. This structure gives it a unidirectional load bearing action i.e. it counteracts the
pushing out of the soil when load is borne on it commonly called as rutting. This effectively
reduces the soil or sub layer or crust from giving away more effectively than the previous
generation of bio enzymes.

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 BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

Mechanics and working of bio enzymes:

Increasing CBR values:
This is the new breed of catalytic polyhydrol enzyme. The layer of non-degradable substance
formed on the clay particle reduces electrical conductance and bonds the segregated
macromolecules better than the previous enzymes to a stronger crystallography. All soils treated
with these bio enzymes shows a remarkable increase in the CBR values and shows improved
compaction.

General change of CBR value for all bio enzymes. CBR values changes of over 700% have been
noticed in some soils.

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Mechanics and working of bio enzymes:

Higher compaction values:
There is a marked improvement in the soil strength because of the improved densities of initial
compaction. Since these bio enzymes help improved compacting of soils, superior densities and
load bearing capacities can be developed in soils. These enzymes work even with a lower
fraction of clay particles i.e. less than 10 percentage.

The thin line is of the untreated soil. The darker line shows the gradual increase in unconfined
compression as the activity of bio enzymes progresses.

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 BIO ENZYME FOR SOIL STABILIZATION

Mechanics and working of bio enzymes:

Decreasing permeability:
The improved density is achieved due to the reduced voids between the soil particles. The
restructured soil during compaction has remarkably reduced porosity. This reduces the
permeability of the soils treated with bio enzymes and reduces further as time progresses. This
reduction in permeability not only preserves the soil structure without any detrimental changes
during the rainy season but also negates the damages due to high water table.

The upper line is of the untreated soil. It can be seen that soils treated with bio enzyme shows
progressive decrease in voids as well as reduced permeability.

Simple application procedure:

Bio enzyme has a very standard and simple procedure of application. The complete process is
given below:
Tilling the soil or excavation.
Wet soil to its OMC with appropriate dosage of bio enzyme.
Homogenize treated soil.
Compact the treated soil
This process can be incorporated into any line of soil stabilization working.

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Ecological and economical benefits from bio enzymes:

Constrains associated with other methods:
Bio enzyme can reduce problems associated with other methods of soil stabilization, a problem
commonly associated with formation of structures or components from soil aggregate base is that
usually it is necessary to transport high grade building materials for example sand and
aggregates of appropriate particle size to a particular site where by ready access was only
provided to low grade soil aggregates. This is found to be unduly expensive or in some cases
unavoidable delays occurred because of the fact that the high grade building material is located
at a remote location from the site.

Ecological benefits:
Of the problems mentioned above to make available sand and aggregate of appropriate particle
size is most difficult. Constant illegal mining and excavation of sand from riverbeds for
development and stabilization process puts a heavy strain on the now delicately balanced
ecological system or leave behind irreparable damages. Bio enzymes are environment friendly
and do not perform drastic changes to the soil used for stabilization and are not very different
structurally to the locally available soil used.

Bio enzymes are non-toxic and pose no hazard or health risk to the labour or the surrounding
flora and fauna. They provide us with the ability to utilize a wide range of soils this reduces the
need for aggregates like crushed rock which in turn reduces the need for mining

Economic benefits:
Secondly since the two main components in soil stabilization using bio enzymes is locally
available soil and water the cost of stabilization reduces drastically (from 20- 60 percentage) from
the actual calculated costs. Hence bio enzyme provides an opportunity for sustained
development with no ecological or economical burden.

The effects of improved infrastructure can be a stimulant for rural development. Bio enzymes soil
stabilization will have an immediate affect on the economics of the rural area with improved roads
the cost and travel time to markets will provide a commercial advantage to the local producers.
Agro based industry can benefit from the reduced transportation cost and time. Bio enzyme can
be a means by which an immediate improvement in the infrastructure can be achieved where the
governments are experiencing a shortage of funds.

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Summary:
Bio enzyme treated soil shows increasing strength, lower plasticity, reduced permeability and
better stability compared to other types of soil stabilization. They also have one other prominent
advantage over other stabilizers i.e. they effectively prevent soil erosion and helps retain a
definite quantity of moisture in the soil.

Bio enzymes as discussed are a cost effective and efficient solution. They can accelerate
economic development if harnessed to its full capacity. Bio enzymes help engineers with a far
better proposal possibility where bio enzyme stabilized base road can be asphalted after years of
usage as unpaved road. There is a lot to be learnt and understood of other beneficial aspects of
bio enzyme but as of now it can be a means to better rural development by helping engineers to
build better roads with lower life cycle and maintenance costs at a considerably faster pace of
construction. Bio enzyme today is a groundbreaking reality and should be used by all means to
build a better tomorrow.

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