Strength improvement of sand treated by biocementation process and hemp fiber

Abstract

This article presents the green technology using biocementation process to initiate the crystal forms of carbonates to bind the soil particles resulting in soil mechanical improvement. This research examines the feasibility of microorganisms capable of hydrolyzing urea with production of carbonate collected from natural and agricultural soils. The biocement was prepared by a mixture of calcium salt, urea, and microbial suspension extracted from collected soil samples. The calcium crystal forming shapes was studied. This research measured the ammonification rate in biocemented process. Non-destructive testing method using shear wave velocity was applied for strength measurement in sand mixed with hemp fiber of 0.5 1.0 2.5 5.0 10.0 and 20.0% by volume. The optimum hemp fiber of 2.5% was found and formation of calcite layer on sand surface could be useful for the stabilization of the sand or earth structures.