• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2021

The resistance of soil to the tractive force of flowing water is one of the essential parameters for the stability of the soil when directly exposed to the movement of water such as in rivers and ocean beds. Biopolymers, which are new to sustainable geotechnical engineering practices, are known to enhance the mechanical properties of soil. This study addresses the surface erosion resistance of river-sand treated with several biopolymers that originated from micro-organisms, plants, and dairy products. We used a state-of-the-art erosion function apparatus with P-wave reflection monitoring. Experimental results have shown that biopolymers significantly improve the erosion resistance of soil surfaces. Specifically, the critical shear stress (i.e., the minimum shear stress needed to detach individual soil grains) of biopolymer-treated soils increased by 2 to 500 times. The erodibility coefficient (i.e., the rate of increase in erodibility as the shear stress increases) decreased following biopolymer treatment from 1 × 10-2 to 1 × 10-6 times compared to that of untreated river-sands. The scour prediction calculated using the SRICOS-EFA program has shown that a height of 14 m of an untreated surface is eroded during the ten years flow of the Nakdong River, while biopolymer treatment reduced this height to less than 2.5 m. The result of this study has demonstrated the possibility of cross-linked biopolymers for river-bed stabilization agents.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.304-313
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• 2019

Biopolymer based on microbial β-glucan and xanthan gum is effective for vegetation and has a function of enhancing soil strength, which can be used as soil reinforcement and stabilization materials in river embankment. The purpose of this study is to verify the vegetation effect of the surface of levee by biopolymer with seed spraying method. Mixed soils with biopolymer were used to cover the surface of embankments. The strength is higher in biopolymer-treated soil and xanthan gum based biopolymer has advantage for quality control in field scale. In addition, the vegetation of F. arundinacea and L. perenne showed various reactions with types of biopolymers. Biopolymer has a positive effect on the vegetation of them. In contrast, root growth tended to decrease in biopolymer-treated soils. The results indicate that root growth is slow down due to increasing ability to retain water in biopolymer-treated soil. In order to apply biopolymer to river embankment, it is necessary to examine the effects of biopolymers on a wide range of plant species in river embankment.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.815-830
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• 2017

Due to numerous environmental concerns in recent years, the search for and the development of sustainable technologies have been pursued. In particular, environmentally friendly methods of soil improvement, such as the potential use of biopolymers, have been researched. Previous studies on the use of biopolymers in soil improvement have shown that they can provide substantial strengthening efficiencies. However, in order to fully understand the applicability of biopolymer treated soils, various properties of these soils such as their dynamic properties must be considered. In this study, the dynamic properties of gel-type biopolymer treated soils were observed through the use of resonant column tests. Gellan gum and Xanthan gums were the target gel-type biopolymers used in this study, and the target soil for this study was jumunjin sand, the standard sand of Korea. Through this study it was demonstrated that biopolymers can be used to enhance the dynamic properties of the soil, and that they offer possibilities of reuse to reduce earthquake related soil failures.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.423-429
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• 2012

We examined the quality characteristics and conducted a sensory evaluation of muffins made with rice flour and the biopolymer hydroxyethyl methylcellulose (HEMC) to identify a new health functional food additive. First, overrun and foam stability of HEMC-HV (high viscosity) was better than HEMC-LV (low viscosity) to prepare muffins. Also the quality of rice muffins(volume, specific cake volume, and baking loss) was analyzed. There was no significant difference in the sensory evaluation of rice flour muffins containing foam mixture(egg white:HEMC-HV, 3:1, v/v) and muffin made from flour. The results showed that HEMC-HV was suitable for quick bread muffin-making using 100% rice flour.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.453-464
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• 2019

Soft marine soil has high fine-grained soil content and in-situ water content. Thus, it has low shear strength and bearing capacity and is susceptible to a large settlement, which leads to difficulties with coastal infrastructure construction. Therefore, strength improvement and settlement control are essential considerations for construction on soft marine soil deposits. Biopolymers show their potential for improving soil stability, which can reduce the environmental drawbacks of conventional soil treatment. This study used two biopolymers, an anionic xanthan gum biopolymer and a cationic ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer, as representatives to enhance the geotechnical engineering properties of soft marine soil. Effects of the biopolymers on marine soil were analyzed through a series of experiments considering the Atterberg limits, shear strength at a constant water content, compressive strength in a dry condition, laboratory consolidation, and sedimentation. Xanthan gum treatment affects the Atterberg limits, shear strength, and compressive strength by interparticle bonding and the formation of a viscous hydrogel. However, xanthan gum delays the consolidation procedure and increases the compressibility of soils. While ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ treatment does not affect compressive strength, it shows potential for coagulating soil particles in a suspension state. ${\varepsilon}-Polylysine$ forms bridges between soil particles, showing an increase in settling velocity and final sediment density. The results of this study show various potential applications of biopolymers. Xanthan gum biopolymer was identified as a soil strengthening material, while ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer can be applied as a soil-coagulating material.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.163-170
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• 2019

The civil engineering materials used to stabilize the slopes of new riverbanks have a great impact on the types and growth of vegetation introduced after the completion of construction procedure. Recently, microbial-derived, ${\beta}$-glucan- and xanthan gum-based biopolymers are attracting attention as an ecofriendly strengthening material of riverbanks that can possibly stimulate plant growth. This study aimed to assess ecological effects of biopolymer application on native plants in Korean riverbanks. In particular, since dominant plant species could shape characteristics of an ecosystem, we examined the effects of biopolymer on the dominant plant species in riverbanks. Overall, biopolymer did not affect seed germination rates of testing plant species. In contrast, plants grew more vigorously in the soil mixed with biopolymer compared to those in the control soil. The biomass of Echinochloa crus-galli especially increased around two times more in the biopolymer treatment. Plants produced heavier root biomass and leaves with larger specific leaf area, which possibly contributes to the tolerance of environmental stress like drought. These results suggest that biopolymers treated on river banks are expected to stimulate plant growth and increase stress tolerance of domestic dominant plant species.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.28-47
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• 2021

Pectin is a natural polysaccharide and biopolymer that serves as a structural component of plant tissues' primary cell walls. Pectin is primarily composed of D-galacturonic acid linked by α-1, 4-glycosidic linkage and is further classified by the ratio of esterified galacturonic acid groups known as degree of esterification (DE). Pectin that contains more than half of its carboxylate units as methyl esters is known as a high methyl (HM) ester. Conversely, pectin that has less than half of its carboxylate units as methyl esters is known as a low methyl (LM) ester. Pectin has various bioactive properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticholesterol, antitumoral, and chemopreventive properties. Moreover, pectin is a useful biopolymer in biomedical applications. Biomedical engineering, which is founded on research aimed to improve the quality of life using new materials and technologies, is typically classified according to the use of hydrogels, nanofiber mats, and nanoparticles. This paper reviews the progress of recent research into pectin-based biomedical applications and the potential future biomedical applications of marine-derived pectin.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.413-422
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• 2020

The choice of eco-friendly materials for ground improvement is a necessary way forward for sustainable development. Adapting naturally available biopolymers will render the process of soil stabilization carbon neutral. An attempt has been made to use β-glucan, a natural biopolymer for the stabilization of lean clay as a sustainable alternative with specific emphasis on comprehending the effect of confining stresses on lean clay through triaxial compression tests. A sequence of laboratory experiments was performed to examine the various physical and mechanical characteristics of β-glucan treated soil (BGTS). Micro-analysis through micrographs were used to understand the strengthening mechanism. Results of the study show that the deviatoric stress of 2% BGTS is 12 times higher than untreated soil (UTS). The micrographs from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the results of the Nitrogen-based Brunauer Emmett Teller (N₂-BET) analysis confirm the formation of new cementitious fibres and hydrogels within the soil matrix that tends to weld soil particles and reduce the pore spaces leading to an increase in strength. Hydraulic conductivity (HC) and compressibility reduced significantly with the biopolymer content and curing period. Results emphases that β-glucan is an efficient and sustainable alternative to the traditional stabilizers like cement, lime or bitumen.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.370-375
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• 2001

For the production of new exo-biopolymers from microorganisms, an exe-biopolymer producing bacterial strain was isolated from the composter used in composting of organic wastes. Bacteriological properties of this strain and physicochemical properties of producing exo-biopolymer were investigated. The isolated strain was identified as Enterobacter sp. through its morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics. The results of color reactions, CPC (cetyl pyridinium chloride) precipitation and infra red absorption spectral analysis indicated that this exo-biopolymer was presumed as an acidic polysaccharide with uronic acid. This polysaccharide was identified as hetero-polysaccharide consisting of galactose, mannose and galacturonic acid by gas chromatography, and the molecular weight of exopolysaccharide purified by gel chromatography were about 370,000 daltons. The polysaccharide solutions(0.50-2.0%, w/v) exhibited non-Newtonian flow behavior with pseudoplastic property and showed the ability of gel formation at above 1.5% (w/v) of polysaccharide concentration.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.167-179
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• 2020

Recently, new levee material has been developed to enhance natural soil strength and vegetation growth using biopolymer. In the study, critical tractive force of vegetated mats mixed with biopolymer mixed soil has been evaluated to apply the mixed soil to levee construction material. The mixed soil has been produced by mixing beta-glucan, clay, and sand. Full scale test bodies have been constructed with 3 cm thick of the mixed soil. Total 4 test bodies have been constructed and experimented. Critical tractive forces have been evaluated by observation and measurement of failure conditions and soil loss. Although performance of the vegetated revetments are affected by vegetation coverage conditions, the critical tractive forces are shown about 40 N/㎡ and the critical velocities are shown about 4 m/sec by full scale experiment. Erosion resistance is also enhanced by combination of root and net with mat materials.