IIT-Mandi develops soil stabilisation methods

Tribune News Service

Mandi, April 12

Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, have developed sustainable techniques for soil stabilisation by using a harmless bacteria called “S Pasteurii” that hydrolyse urea to precipitate calcite. The process does not involve hazardous chemicals and natural resources can be used sustainably.

Long-term permanent strength to soil

Dr KV Uday, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, IIT, Mandi says that soil stabilisation is the process of conferring long-term permanent strength to the soil by artificial means.

Dr KV Uday, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, IIT, Mandi says that soil stabilisation is the process of conferring long-term permanent strength to the soil by artificial means. It is used when construction work is carried out on unstable grounds or to prevent soil erosion. Traditionally, mechanical processes such as compression and chemical processes such as the injection of chemical grout fluids into the soil are used for soil stabilisation.

“In the past decades, an eco-friendly and sustainable soil stabilisation technique called Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is being investigated worldwide. In this method, bacteria are used to produce calcium carbonate (calcite) within soil pores, which cements individual grains together, thereby enhancing the soil/ground strength,” he says.

“Our study will be helpful in designing microbial methods to improve the soil shear strength at the field scale, to protect the soil from erosion in hilly areas and during geo-disasters. We are also working on the microbe-driven production of construction material from quarry waste,” says Uday.

“While there are studies worldwide on the development of MICP techniques for soil stabilisation, the factors that affect the efficacy of the process are still not completely understood,” he adds.

Uday says that in near future this research will play a crucial role in improving the soil shear strength at the field scale to protect the soil from erosion in hilly areas and during geo-disasters in Himachal. —

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