Ground Improvement Technique

MODULE -1
Prof. Nima M Anil
GECB

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Need for ground improvement
• Scarcity of suitable construction sites

• Mechanical properties are not adequate

• Swelling and shrinkage

• Collapsible soils (unsaturated soils that undergo a large volume change upon
saturation)

• Liquefiable soils

• Marshy and Soft soils

• Organic soils and peaty (>65%) soils (consisting of plant and animal residues at
various stages of decomposition)

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Need for ground improvement…
• Karst deposits (formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as
limestone, dolomite, and gypsum - characterized by underground drainage
systems with sinkholes and caves)

• Foundations on dumps and sanitary landfills

• Handling dredged materials

• Handling hazardous materials in contact with soils

• Use of old mine pits (they have lot of holes)

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 Leaning Tower of Pisa

• Inadequate foundation (which

was only 3 meters thick); and
was constructed on very soft silty
soil.

• The primary cause of the tilt was

a fluctuating water table which
would perch higher on the
tower’s north side, causing the
tower’s characteristic slant to the
south.

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Swelling and shrinking soils exist in many areas in India, large tracts of Maharashtra, Andhra, Deccan
plateau, Chennai 5
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 Lateral spreading Effects of liquefaction
Quick sand condition

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Alternatives for inadequate ground
• If soil near the ground surface is strong and has sufficient bearing capacity, then shallow
foundation is adopted

• More often a geotechnical engineer encounters ground site that may not be suitable for
supporting heavy structures - Loose, weak granular soil deposits, Soft saturated clay (large
settlement, Expansive soils

• If unsuitable soil are encountered at the site of a proposed structure, one of the following
four procedures may be adopted:

• Abandon the site and relocate the structure elsewhere

• Redesign the planned structure or foundation according to the poor ground conditions. This
procedure may not be feasible or economical. Eg. Huge / deep foundation, Stiff or flexible
structure
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 Alternatives for inadequate ground…
• Bypass the unsuitable soil by means of deep foundations (like piles) extending to a
suitable bearing material (to carry the weight of the structure to competent stratum)

• Improve the properties of the ground prior to construction

• Remove the poor material and substitute for it with a suitable material.

• Treat the soil in place to improve its properties (Ground modification)

• In the case of earth dams, there is no other alternative than compacting the
remoulded soil in layers to the required density and moisture content. The soil for
the dam will be excavated at the adjoining areas and transported to the site.

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Alternatives for inadequate ground…

• Unfavourable soil conditions can frequently be improved using soil

improvement techniques.

• Soil improvement is also termed as soil stabilization

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What are Ground Improvement Techniques ?
• Alteration of any property of a soil to improve its engineering performance.

• Engineer forces the ground to adopt the projects requirements, by altering the natural
state of the soil, instead of having to alter the design in response to the grounds natural
limitations.

• Ground treatment is the controlled alteration of the state, nature or mass behaviour of
ground materials in order to achieve an intended satisfactory response to existing or
projected environmental and engineering actions.

• i.e. Ground improvement is the modification of the ground properties in order to

achieve the required ground conditions for the particular use of the ground. It is the
geotechnical construction method used to modify and improve poor and marginal soil
and rock conditions to meet project requirements. 10
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What are Ground Improvement Techniques ?...
• Improves the mechanical and engineering properties of the soil.

• Results -> include saving in construction cost and reduction of

implementation time.

• A variety of soil improvement techniques have been developed.

• However a suitable technique has to be adopt according to necessity of

the structure and economy.

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Objectives of ground improvement
• Increase of shear strength

• Reduces compressibility (volume decreases due to a reduction in air

voids or water content under loads)

• Reduce distortion under stress (Increases stress-strain modulus)

• Reduces permeability

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Benefits of ground improvement
• Reduction and control of deformation & settlement

• Reduction, control and exclusion of groundwater to aid safety and buildability

• Reduction of susceptibility to erosion and improving life-span.

• Prevent detrimental physical or chemical changes due to environmental

conditions (freezing / thawing, wetting / drying)

• i.e. controls shrinking and swelling tendency(improves volume stability)

• Reduce susceptibility to liquefaction

• Reduce natural variability of borrow materials and foundation soils

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Effect on the Ground
❖Change of state

i.e. the same ground but made stronger, stiffer, denser, more durable

❖Change of nature

i.e. the ground becomes a different material by inclusion of other

materials

❖Change of response

i.e. through the incorporation of other materials, the ground becomes a

composite material with enhanced load-carrying or deformation
characteristics

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Types of Improvement Techniques
❖Temporary

• e.g. dewatering or ground freezing, where the improvement is only during the
application

❖Short-term

• e.g. some forms of grouting, or use of diaphragm walls for ease of construction
with longer term benefits

❖ Long-term

• e.g. soil nailing, vibro-replacement, curtain grouting of a dam, where the

treatment is integral to the permanent works.
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Classification of Ground Modification Techniques

• On the basis of mechanism by which they improve the engineering

properties of soil - 4 types

1. Mechanical Modification

2. Hydraulic Modification

3. Physical and chemical modification (Stabilization technique)

4. Modification by inclusions and confinement

5. Combination of the above

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1. Mechanical Modification

• Densification Techniques

• Increase of soil density by the application of short term external mechanical

forces

• Compaction of surface layers - by static, vibratory or impact rollers and plate

vibrators

• Deep compaction - by heavy tamping at the surface or vibration at depth

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2. Hydraulic Modification
• Free pore water is forced out of soil via drains or wells.

• Coarse grained soils - by lowering the ground water level through pumping
from boreholes, or trenches.

• In fine grained soils - long term application of external loads (preloading) or

electrical forces (electrokinetic stabilization)

• E.g.: Preloaded vertical drains - vertical drains accelerate the consolidation

process

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3. Physical and chemical modification (Stabilization
technique)
• Stabilization by physically mixing additives with surface layers or columns of
soil at depth – Additives includes natural soils, industrial by-products or waste
materials and cementitious and other chemicals which react with each other
and/or the ground

• e.g.: Usage of admixtures like cement stabilization

• Soil stabilization by heating the ground (evaporates water and causes

permanent change in soil structure)and by freezing the ground (solidifies part
or all of the water and bonds individual particles together) - thermal methods
of modifications
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4. Modification by inclusions and confinement
• Reinforcement techniques introduce discrete inclusions that stiffen and
strengthen a soil deposit. The high stiffness and strength of the inclusions
also tend to reduce the stresses imposed on the weaker materials between
the inclusion. eg:- Reinforcement by fibres, strips, bars, meshes and fabrics
(geo synthetics like geotextiles) imparts tensile strength to a constructed
soil mass.

• In-situ reinforcement is achieved by nails and anchors.

• Stable earth retaining structures can also be formed by confining soil with
concrete, Steel, or fabric elements.
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5. Combination of the above
• Any classification is to a degree arbitrary, particularly when more than one
of the above processes are combined.

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Different Problematic Soil
• Sometimes, the soil cannot be used for construction purposes and thus
need some improvement techniques. Such soils are known as
problematic soils.

• There are two types of problematic soils,

1. Chemical soils, and

2. Physical soils.

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Chemical soils
• When the problem in the soil is due to the excess chemical amount, then it
is known as chemical soil. There are following types of chemical soils.

1. Acidic Soil

2. Saline Soil

3. Alkaline soil

4. Sodic Soil

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Chemical soils…
1. Acidic Soil

• In the case of soil, the soil becomes acidic if its pH value is less than 7.

• Soil should have pH above 5.5 for the top layer and above 5 for sub-layer.

• Acidic soil is not recommended for construction point of view because if the soil is
more acidic, it can cause corrosion to different building construction parts that are in
contact with the soil. These construction parts are mostly cast iron, steel, etc.

• Mostly neutral soil is recommended for construction purposes because any change
in pH can further affect the construction workability and usage of the soil.

• Also shrinkage limit, plastic limit and liquid limit increase if the soil is more acidic.
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Fig. 1 Acidic soil Fig. 2 pH scale for soil in Geotechnical field

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Chemical soils…
2. Saline soil

• The excessive amount of salts present in the soil when mixed with water and
travel to the surface of the soil, this soil is known as saline soil.

• The saline soil has mostly sodium chloride present in it.

• The effect of salinity is that it decreases the moisture content of the soil and
makes it dry and rough.

• Moreover the unit weight of the soil increase with the increase in salinity.

• Also, saline soil has further physical problems such as high compressibility, low
bearing capacity, and more expansion.

• More salts can increase undrained shear resistance of the soil.

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Fig. 3 Saline soil

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Chemical soils…
3. Alkaline soil

• Alkaline soil is a property of soil that is measured with a pH scale. This scale ranges
from 1-14.

• pH value 1 means super acidic; pH value 7 means neutral and pH value 14 means
super alkaline.

• The main components that are present in the alkaline soil are sodium carbonates
and sodium bicarbonates.

• The effect of alkali in soil is almost opposite to that of acid in the soil.

• Alkaline soil has less shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit. Unit weight of
alkaline soil is less than the unit weight of acidic soil.
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Chemical soils…
4. Sodic Soil

• The sodic soil is a type of soil. This soil has a high concentration of exchangeable
sodium percentage present in it, and less concentration of other salts present in it.

• The effect of the sodium salt is that it decreases the moisture content of the soil and
makes it dry and rough.

• The sodic soil also degrades the soil structure and thus leading to a physical problem
known as soil dispersion.

• Sodic soil can also have wind and water erosion.

• Sodic soil can also cause the soil to swell.

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Fig. 4 Sodic soil dry texture Fig. 5 Sodic soil with cracks

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 Physical soils
• When the soil becomes problematic due to change in the physical properties of soil, this is
known as physical soil.

• Following are the different types of physical soil.

1. Dispersive Soil

2. Collapsible soil

3. Expansive (swelling) soil

4. Sandy Soil

5. Hardpan Soil

6. Laterite Soils

7. Shock sensitive soil

8. Frost sensitive soil

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Physical soils…
1. Dispersive Soil

• Disperse means to spread apart, move away.

• Similarly in this soil, the soil surface breaks and spreads apart. This is due to the weak bond
between the particles of the soil and clay etc.

• This condition occurs due to higher exchangeable sodium percentage in the soil.

• The repulsive forces between the soil particles become stronger than the force of attraction.
Due to which, the soil particles will move away as far as possible and they will spread and thus
creating cracks on the surface of the soil.

• Dispersive soil can also have tunnel formation and sinkholes underneath the layer of soil.

• Thus, we cannot use a dispersive soil for the construction because it is affected and cannot
fully take the load and will fail and settle down under load.
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 Fig. 6 Mechanism of Dispersive soil

Fig. 7 Sinkholes Fig. 8 Soil layer dispersion and cracking

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Physical soils…
2. Collapsible soil

• A type of soil that is moisture sensitive is known as collapsible soil.

• This type of soil will carry a heavy load and will stay like that until it comes
in contact with the moisture.

• As soon as it comes in contact with moisture, the strength of the soil

decreases and the volume of the soil will decrease and the soil will have a
very high settlement and thus, it will fail and will collapse.

• This type of soil becomes weak when it comes in contact with moisture,
mainly water.

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Physical soils…
2. Collapsible soil

• The choice of soil depends on upon the fact that whether the foundation of
the building will be exposed to moisture or not.

• Its volume reduction property under water contact can cause sudden
settlement and collapse that can be fatal for any sort of construction over it.

• It must be treated before using for construction purpose so that it can bear
the load and will not reduce in the volume under moisture from building and
surrounding and thus causing failure.

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Fig. 8 Collapsing soil under the road

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Physical soils…

3. Expansive (swelling) soil

• This type of soil is opposite to collapsible soil.

• In this type of soil, the volume of the soil generally increases as it comes in
contact with water and shrink when the water leaves the soil. This type of
soil acts like a sponge.

• As the volume of the soil increases, it will exert a certain pressure on the
building on any constructed material on top of it and can cause cracks on
it.

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Physical soils…
3. Expansive (swelling) soil
• An expansive soil can damage a building foundation by uplifting due to increase
in the volume of the soil.

• This uplift motion of the soil can put a pressure on the above construction and
thus causing cracks to develop on them.

• The water can enter in the soil during a raining season through the cracks on the
surface of soil due to dry weather. This water will increase the volume of the soil
under the foundation and the soil under foundation expands and will exert a
pressure on it that can leads movement of foundation and thus whole building
can collapse.

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Mechanism of Expansive soil

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Fig. 9 Cracks in the soil due to expansion Fig. 10 Expansion cracks on soil

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Physical soils…

4. Sandy Soil

• This type of soil has very large particles and minimum to no clay present in
it. This type of soil is granular.

• In its composition, it has almost 70% sand, 30% silt and clay.

• As the sandy sand has granular particles and particles have larger size so
they do not perform the required compaction that is performed by the clay
and silt in the soil.

• That is why sandy soils are not recommended for construction.

• However they can be used when there is no any other soil available.
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Physical soils…

5. Hardpan Soil

• This type of soil layer is present under neath the top layer. This soil has
become compacted and hard due to consolidation under very heavy loading
of construction building.

• This soil layer has poor drainage for water because of compaction.
However this soil is good for foundation purpose.

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Fig. 11 Hardpan soil
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Physical soils…

6. Laterite Soils

• In tropical areas, heavy rainfall can cause weathering of igneous rocks. This
weathering will dispose small particles of rocks and minerals to mix with the soil
thus forming a red coloured soil structure. This is known as laterite soils.

• This soil has large amount of water moisture present inside it.

• If this laterite soil is used for construction, then the soil becomes soft and very
saturated because of already water moisture present in it.

• This soft soil will give unsatisfactory results for construction and must be
improved or repaired before using.

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Fig. 12 Laterite soil

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Physical soils…

7. Shock sensitive soil

• It is also known as soil liquefaction.

• If a soil has no binding or cementing material to hold them together then it is

shock sensitive soil.

• Shock sensitive soil is that soil that will rearrange itself and will compact and
settle under any sort of shock or vibration. These vibration or shock can be
due to Earthquake, bomb blast and pile driving.

• This type of soil is found under the ground near water table where there is
pure clean soil without any binder or cement.
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Physical soils…
7. Shock sensitive soil

• This layer is loose.

• However if a foundation or a pile is supported on this layer of soil and this

soil will start compacting due to vibration or shock, then the soil will start
to densify and compact and at this time, it wont support the foundation or
pile and thus will fail and cause the whole building to fail.

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Physical soils…
8. Frost sensitive soil

• This type of soil problem is common in cold freezing seasons.

• When the water moisture freezes in the soil, it will increase in volume by 9% and
thus create a pressure in it surrounding soil layer because of more space
coverage.

• This will move the soil and thus as a result the soil layer will move and all the
building construction will get the cracks on the surface because of movement of
soil layer.

• However when the water unfreezes, the soil particles rearrange themselves and
go back to initial position but cracks remain the same.

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 Methods for Soil Improvement
Ground Ground Ground
Reinforcement Improvement Treatment

• Stone Columns • Surface Compaction • Soil Cement

• Soil Nails • Dynamic Compaction • Lime Admixtures
• Micropiles (Mini-piles) • Drainage/Surcharge • Fly ash
• Jet Grouting (Vertical drains /Preloading) • Dewatering
• Ground Anchors • Electro-osmosis • Heating/Freezing
• Geosynthetics • Compaction grouting • Vitrification
• Fiber Reinforcement • Blasting
• Lime Columns • Vibroflotation
• Vibro-Concrete Column
• Mechanically Stabilized
Earth
• Biotechnical
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Ground Improvement Techniques for different soil types
• Ground improvements can be done through various mechanisms

1. Compaction
• Normally the strength of the soil is expressed in the terms of cohesion and friction.
• Cohesion-friction properties will improve with compaction (i.e. the state of soil is improved
due to high densification)
• Long term improvement technique.
• There is a change in soil state after adopting it.
• Can be adopted in silty, sandy and gravelly soils.
• Two types –
• Shallow compaction (compaction is done only for 1 or 2 metres)
• Deep compaction (depth of compaction ranges to about 10m)

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Ground Improvement Techniques for different soil types
(Contd.)

2. Dewatering
• It is a technique similar to compaction

• Strength of the soil decreases with the increase in water content

• Removal of water is done by some dewatering machines (by creating suction) or

application of loads

• Mostly adopted in clayey soils

• Here consolidation process is accelerated by varieties of techniques such as band

drains, sand drains etc.

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Ground Improvement Techniques for different soil types
(Contd.)
3. Reinforcement
• Is done to improve the bearing capacity of native soil.

• Steel strips or geogrids are used.

• Improve soil response by interaction between soil and inclusion (i.e. reinforcement)

• Improving period depends on the life of inclusions

• Geogrids are permanent reinforcement

• Jute geotextiles are temporary reinforcement as they are biodegradable

• There is no change in state of soil (as the water content is same)

• Widely used technique as it can be done for many types of soils.

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Geogrids

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Ground Improvement Techniques for different soil types
(Contd.)
4. Admixtures or grouting
• Cementation plays an important role in soil response.
• Short term or long term improvement techniques are possible.
• There is a change in solid state after adopting it.
• If an expansive soil has 100% liquid limit, you can add a bit of lime to lower its LL to
60%.
• Here lime is a chemical agent.
• Similarly fly ash (physical agent) can also be added instead of lime.
• Grout – cement slurry mix at some specified water content-can be used to strengthen
the system
• If sinkhole is present within the loaded area of the karst deposits, grout is poured into
the hole under continuous monitoring.
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Grouting

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Ground Improvement Techniques for different soil types
(Contd.)

SL no. Type of soil Reinforcement Admixtures Compaction Dewatering

1 Organic soil

2 Volcanic clay soil

3 Highly plastic clay

4 Lowly plastic clay

5 Silty soil

6 Sandy soil

7 Gravel soil
Soil for which the technique cannot be used

Soil for which the technique can be used 56

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Ground Improvement Techniques for different soil types
(Contd.)

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Suitability, Feasibility and Desirability
• The choice of a method of ground improvement depends on the following factors.

• Type and degree of improvement required (Bearing capacity improvement,

settlement reduction, permeability enhancement/decrease, long term/short term,
liquefaction resistance.)

• Type of soil , geological structure, seepage conditions

• Cost (based on size of the project)

• Availability of equipment and materials and the quality of work required

• Construction time available (use of accelerated construction techniques)

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Suitability, Feasibility and Desirability…

• Possible damage to adjacent structures or pollution of ground water resources

(Tolerable levels of loading and deformation, pore water contamination)

• Durability of the materials involved ( as related to the expected life of structure for
a given environmental and stress conditions - short term / long term, corrosion,
aggressive soil condition.)

• Toxicity or corrosivity of any chemical additives (Government regulations may

restrict the choice of additives)

• Reversibility or irreversibility of the process

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Suitability, Feasibility and Desirability…

• Reusability of the components (steel, plastics, concrete etc)

• Reliability of methods of analysis and design.

• Feasibility of construction control and performance measurement

• Ground freezing - applicable to all types of soil, provided the soil is moist

• Other methods applicable for a group of soils, based on cohesive/

cohesionless, saturated or unsaturated, normally – consolidated or over
consolidated, highly organic (landfill) etc.

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Suitability, Feasibility and Desirability…

• Feasibility depends on type of problem – foundation / an embankment on

soft ground / unstable slope / excavation etc.

• Desirability depends on environmental impact and energy consumption –

use of toxic grouts, densification by electrical shock – not preferred

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Removal and Replacement of Soil
• One of the oldest and simplest soil improvement methods

• simply excavate the unsuitable soil and replace them with compacted fill.

• This method is often used when the problem in the soil is that it is too loose - same
soils may be used to build the fill, except now it has a higher unit weight (because of
compaction) – thus better engineering properties.

• Common way to remediate problems with collapsible soils.

• Soil replacement adopted for contaminated soils or organic soils also.

• Generally practical only above the ground water table.

• Earthwork operations become more difficult when the soil is very wet, even when the
free water pumped out – hence the method is generally avoided unless absolutely
necessary.
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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques
1. Vibro-Compaction

2. Vacuum Consolidation

3. Preloading

4. Heating

5. Ground Freezing

6. Vibro-Replacement Stone Columns

7. Soil Nailing

8. Micro Piles

9. General Grouting
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 Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…
1. Vibro-Compaction

• Vibro-compaction, sometimes referred to as Vibrofloation, is the rearrangement of soil particles

into a denser configuration by the use of powerful depth vibration.

• Vibro-compaction is a ground improvement process for densifying loose sands to create stable
foundation soils.

• The combined action of vibration and water saturation by jetting rearranges loose sand grains
into a more compact state.

• Vibro-compaction is performed with specially-designed vibrating probes.

• The probe is first inserted into the ground by both jetting and vibration. After the probe reaches
the required depth of compaction, granular material, usually sand, is added from the ground
surface to fill the void space created by the vibrator.

• A compacted radial zone of granular material is created.

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…

2. Vacuum Consolidation

• Vacuum Consolidation is an effective means for improvement of saturated soft

soils.

• The soil site is covered with an airtight membrane and vacuum is created
underneath it by using dual venture and vacuum pump.

• The technology can provide an equivalent pre-loading of about 4.5m high

conventional surcharge fill.

• Vacuum-assisted consolidation preloads the soil by reducing the pore pressure

while maintaining a constant total stress.

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Vacuum Consolidation

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…

3. Preloading

• Preloading has been used for many years without change in the method or
application to improve soil properties.

• Preloading or pre-compression is the process of placing additional vertical stress

on a compressible soil to remove pore water over time.

• The pore water dissipation reduces the total volume causing settlement.
Surcharging is an economical method for ground improvement.

• However, the consolidation of the soils is time dependent, delaying construction

projects making it a non-feasible alternative.

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…
4. Heating

• Heating or vitrification breaks the soil particle down to form a crystalline or glass
product.

• It uses electrical current to heat the soil and modify the physical characteristics of
the soil. Heating soils permanently alters the properties of the soil.

• Depending on the soil, temperatures can range between 300 and 1000 degree
Celsius.

• The impact on adjacent structures and utilities should be considered when

heating is used.

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…
5. Ground Freezing

• Ground freezing is the use of refrigeration to convert in-situ pore water to ice.

• The ice then acts as a cement or glue, bonding together adjacent particles of soil or
blocks of rock to increase their combined strength and make them impervious.

6. Soil Nailing

• The fundamental concept of soil nailing consists of reinforcing the ground by

passive inclusions, closely spaced, to strengthen in-situ soil and restrain its
displacements.

• The basic design consists of transferring the resisting tensile forces generated in
the inclusions into the ground through the friction mobilized at the interfaces.
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Ground Freezing

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Soil Nailing

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…
7. Micro Piles

• Micro-piles are small diameter piles (up to 300 mm), with the capability of
sustaining high loads (compressive loads of over 5000 KN).

• The drilling equipment and methods allows micro – piles to be drilled through
virtually every ground conditions, natural and artificial, with minimal vibration,
disturbances and noise, at any angle below horizontal.

• The equipment can be further adapted to operate in locations with low

headroom and severely restricted access.

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Micro Piles

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Emerging Trends in Ground Improvement Techniques…

8. General Grouting

• Grouting is the injection of pumpable materials into a soil or rock formation

to change the physical characteristics of the formation.

• Grouting selection considerations depends upon site specific

requirements, Soil type, Soil groutability, Porosity etc

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Sustainability in Methods of Ground Improvement
• Sustainability plays a pivotal role in the development of new and existing
infrastructure.

• This requires infrastructure that is built

(a) utilising materials and processes that are environmentally friendly

(b) combining practices that are socially and economically

acceptable.

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 Sustainability in Methods of Ground Improvement…
Sustainability Solution Offering
Category
Environment • Most techniques contain no cement, concrete or steel, considerably reducing the carbon
footprint.
• Vibro-systems typically generate 5-10% of
the C02 compared to piling systems.
• No spoil produced
• Locally sourced and recycled aggregate can be used in vibro-stone column technique eg.
railway ballast or site-won crushed concrete
Community • Most systems are low noise
• Vibro-rigs are fitted with low emissions and noise Tier3 engines
Economic • Generally most cost effective solution when dealing with poor ground, eg. vibro schemes
are typically 50-70% cheaper than piling schemes.
• No spoil ensures no expensive waste to landfill
• Foundations and floor slabs are quicker and cheaper to construct
• Dynamic Deep Compaction is particularly effective on large sites containing contaminated
or obstructed fill, and requires little or no import of materials.

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Microbial Methods
• Microbial geo-technology is an innovative eco-friendly technique that uses
microbes to improve and strengthen weak or marginal soils.

• The mechanisms for microbiological applications to geotechnical engineering can

be divided into two main categories:

1. Bio-clogging and

2. Bio-cementation.

• Bio-clogging is a process where the soil void is filled by the product from
microbial-induced biochemical process.

• Bio-cementation is to enhance the strength and stiffness properties of soil and

rocks by introducing bacteria and cementation reagents into the soil.
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Microbial Methods…
• Bio-clogging includes formation of impermeable layer of algal and cyano bacterial biomass.

• Bio-cementation and bio-clogging work side by side as in both the cases soil particles
become flocculated and dense owing to the bridging between individual grains at the points
of contact.

• Facultative anaerobes could be useful for bio-clogging and bio-cementation methods to

improve the mechanical properties of soil.

• The microbes which precipitates calcium carbonates is very useful for increasing bearing
capacity, stiffness and decreasing the permeability of soil.

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 Microbial Methods…
• There are two methods of using microbes in soils:

1. Bio-stimulation and

2. Bio-augmentation

• Bio-stimulation process involves the use of in situ microbes already present within the soil
along with the cementation solution provided externally.

• In bio-augmentation, the principle is similar to the earlier one but the only difference is that
laboratory cultured bacteria are supplied along with the cementation solution.

• An advantage of the latter case can be knowledge of the colony formation units of the
bacteria, which can substantially affect the results.

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Microbial Methods…
• The microbially induced CaCO3 precipitation (MICP) in porous soil usually occurs
by adding the exogenous bacterium Sporosarcinapasteurii (S. pasteurii) to
promote urea hydrolysis via the enzyme urease.

• Microbes that are able to produce urease enzyme are best suited for biological
stabilization of soils.

• The deposition of CaCO3 in the void spaces or around the surfaces of the soil
particles contributes to the clogging of the porous medium with a consequent
reduction of porosity.

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Microbial Methods…

• Increase bearing capacity of the soil, reduces permeability, stabilizes the slopes,
fills the cracks and many more applications of geotechnical engineering.

• The use of microbials for improvement of soil characteristics is not only very cost
effective method but also eco-friendly method.

• The black cotton soil can also be well treated by microbes to reduce the swelling
effects and improve bearing capacity.

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 Microbial Methods
• Different factors that affect the process of biological improvement overall
include
✓ the type of microbes,

✓ quantity of microbes used,

✓cementation solution molarity,

✓ pH of the system,

✓ treatment method,

✓ temperature,

✓ degree of saturation, density of soil, nutrient availability, etc.

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THANK YOU

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