Stabilization of muskeg soils using two additives: sand and urease active bioslurry

Muskeg soils are considered problematic. They are distinguished by their high initial void ratio and water content. Therefore, they exhibit high compressibility and low shear strength when they are subjected to external loads. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) isa promising soil stabilization technique because it is considered environmentally friendly. In this study, the MICP technique using the urease active bioslurry approach was coupled with sand collected from a local source to stabilize muskeg soils. The effect of changing the sand percentage on the compressibility properties of muskeg soil was studied. The results showed that the addition of 10% sand and injection of two-pore volumes of cementation solutions significantly improved the compressibility properties such that the initial void ratio decreased by 70%.

Automated summary

The study shows that utilizing the MICP technique with sand can significantly improve the compressibility properties of muskeg soils.