Composite biomediated engineering approaches for improving problematic soils: Potentials and opportunities

Abstract

Several conventional chemical stabilizers are used for soil stabilization, among which cement is widely adopted. However, the high energy consumption and environmental challenges associated with these stabilizers have necessitated the transition toward the adoption/deployment of eco-friendly approaches for soil stabilization. Biomediated techniques are sustainable soil improvement methods adopting less toxic microorganisms, enzymes, or polymers for cementing soil. However, these processes also have several drawbacks, such as slow hardening, environmental impact, high cost, and lack of compatibility with different types of soils. It is hypothesized that these limitations may be overcome by exploring the prospects and opportunities offered by hybrid technological approaches involving the integration of nontraditional stabilizers and microbial-induced biomineralization processes for improving problematic soils. This paper discusses selected previous studies integrating different technologies and their benefits and challenges. The emerging fungi-based bio-mediation techniques and the possibility of forming sustainable fungal-based biocomposites to improve problematic soils are also highlighted.

Keywords: Biocomposite materials; Biofilms; Biogeotechnics; Biopolymer; Enzyme induced calcite precipitation; Fungal hyphal networks; Microbial induced calcite precipitation; Microbial induced desaturation and precipitation.