• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.7-16
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• 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the sulfate removal capacity of the enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) technique through the chemical precipitation of sulfate with calcium ions. The optimal EICP recipe was obtained to retain the excess calcium cations in the solution for the generation of a sufficient amount of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) mineral. The effect of gypsum precipitation on the EICP-treated sand specimen was investigated by measuring the shear wave velocity and by visual inspection via scanning electron microscopy. The EICP solution using soybean crude urease, as an alternative to laboratory-grade purified urease, exhibited a lower sulfate removal efficiency at a similar CaCO₃ production rate compared with the optimal EICP recipe because of soybean impurities.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.39-47
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• 2021

Recently, the enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) technique has been considered as one of the alternatives to the cement-based soil reinforcing method. However, the problem with the emission of ammonium ion has not been solved. In this study, an experimental study on the EICP without releasing an environmental contaminant (Ze-EICP) is performed using calcium-exchanged zeolite. The results show that the Ze-EICP using calcium-exchanged zeolite reduced the amount of ammonium ions by 96.96% and precipitated almost the same amount of calcium carbonate, compared to the EICP using calcium chloride. In addition, the Ze-EICP shows higher strength improvement rate than the EICP due to densification of zeolite and cementation of calcium carbonate.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.421-427
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• 2019

Coastal erosion is becoming a significant problem in Greece, Bangladesh, and globally. For the prevention and minimization of damage from coastal erosion, combinations of various structures have been used conventionally. However, most of these methods are expensive. Therefore, creating artificial beachrock using local ureolytic bacteria and the MICP (Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation) method can be an alternative for coastal erosion protection, as it is a sustainable and eco-friendly biological ground improvement technique. Most research on MICP has been confined to land ureolytic bacteria and limited attention has been paid to coastal ureolytic bacteria for the measurement of urease activity. Subsequently, their various environmental effects have not been investigated. Therefore, for the successful application of MICP to coastal erosion protection, the type of bacteria, bacterial cell concentration, reaction temperature, cell culture duration, carbonate precipitation trend, pH of the media that controls the activity of the urease enzyme, etc., are evaluated. In this study, the effects of temperature, pH, and culture duration, as well as the trend in carbonate precipitation of coastal ureolytic bacteria isolated from two coastal regions in Greece and Bangladesh, were evaluated. The results showed that urease activity of coastal ureolytic bacteria species relies on some environmental parameters that are very important for successful sand solidification. In future, we aim to apply these findings towards the creation of artificial beachrock in combination with a geotextile tube for coastal erosion protection in Mediterranean countries, Bangladesh, and globally, for bio-mediated soil improvement.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.165-174
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• 2020

The enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) method has been investigated to improve the hydro-mechanical properties of natural soil deposits. This study was conducted to explore the stiffness evolution during various stress scenarios. First, the optimal concentration of urea, CaCl₂, and urease for the maximum efficiency of calcite precipitation was identified. The results show that the optimal recipe is 0.5 g/L and 0.9 g/L of urease for 0.5 M CaCl₂ and 1 M CaCl₂ solutions with a urea-CaCl₂ molar ratio of 1.5. The shear stiffness of EICP-treated sands remains constant up to debonding stresses, and further loading induces the reduction of S-wave velocity. It was also found that the debonding stress at which stiffness loss occurs depends on the void ratio, not on cementation solution. Repeated loading-unloading deteriorates the bonding quality, thereby reducing the debonding stress. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray images reveal that higher concentrations of CaCl₂ solution facilitate heterogeneous nucleation to form larger CaCO₃ nodules and 11-12 % of CaCO₃ forms at the interparticle contact as the main contributor to the evolution of shear stiffness.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2020

This study presents the experimental results of ground improvement efficiency induced by enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) in soils. First, the optimal mixture ratio of EICP solution was determined by comparing the amount of induced carbonate depending on the different ratio among urea, CaCl₂, and urease. Next, we evaluated the shear stiffness and strength of EICP-treated sandy soil by performing shear wave velocity measurement and triaxial shear test. Furthermore, induced carbonate in treated soil was visually investigated by X-ray CT and SEM analysis. The results showed that the maximum shear stiffness evolved 19~30 times after 6 hours of reaction time compared with non-treated sands. Also, the cohesion and the friction angle tended to increase and decrease, respectively, as the amount of induced carbonate increased.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.61-69
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• 2017

This study presents the experimental results of $CaCO_3$ formation in sand by the Enzyme Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP) method. Concentration of $CaCO_3$ with elapsed reaction time is calibrated by standardized procedure by measuring $CO_2$ pressure, and it increases with time towards asymptotic value. Jumunjin sand saturated with EICP solution shows that both shear wave velocity and electrical conductivity sharply increase as the reaction starts to approach to the constant values after 50 hours of reaction time. Urease concentration of 0.5 g/L exhibits 224% higher final shear wave velocity than that of 0.1 g/L. The nucleation models hint that carbonate tends to precipitate not only at grain contacts but also at grain surfaces. Regardless of urease concentration, electrical conductivity and shear wave velocity follow the unique path. The scanning electron microscopic images and X-ray computed tomographic images validate the spatial configuration of produced $CaCO_3$ in soils.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.67-78
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• 2019

The efficiency of suppressing fine dust was evaluated by conducting indoor and field experiments for the ground treated with EICP solution, which is an eco-friendly ground improvement method. In laboratory experiments, the EICP solution was prepared with inexpensive materials for the field applicability, and the optimal mixing ratio and optimal spraying volume of EICP solution were calculated. The optimum amount of calcium carbonate was shown when the ratio of urea/calcium chloride and white powder were 1.5 and 15 g/L, respectively. The optimum spraying amount of the EICP solution was $7L/m^2$ determined by fine dust suppression and cone tip resistance experiments. The spraying of water and EICP solution was conducted at the test-bed where dump trucks pass for the effect of suppressing fine dust of each method. The effective fine dust suppression method can be chosen depending on the situation of the site.