The Effect of MICP on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Silt with Different Fine Particle Content and Pore Ratio

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a new soil remediation technology, which can improve the physical and mechanical properties of soil by transporting bacterial solution and cementation solution to loose soil and precipitating calcium carbonate precipitation between soil particles through microbial mineralization. Based on this technique, the effects of different fine particle content and pore ratio on the physical and chemical properties of silt after reinforcement were studied. The content of calcium carbonate, the ability of silt to fixed bacteria, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), permeability coefficient and microstructure of the samples were determined. The results showed the following: In the process of calcium carbonate precipitation induced by microorganisms, more than 50% bacterial suspension remained on the surface of silt particles and their pores. The higher the bacterial fixation rate of silt, the more CaCO3 was generated during the solidification process. The bacterial fixation rate and CaCO3 content both decreased with the increase in the pore ratio and increased with the increase in the fine particle content. XRD and SEM images show that the calcium carbonate is mainly composed of spherical vaterite and acicular cluster aragonite. There is an obvious correlation between unconfined compressive strength and CaCO3 content of silt. When CaCO3 content accumulates to a certain extent, its strength will be significantly improved. The unconfined compressive strength of silt A with pore ratio of 0.75 and fine particle content of 75% is 2.22 MPa when the single injection amount of cementing fluid is 300 mL. The permeability coefficient of cured silt can be reduced by 1 to 4 orders of magnitude compared with that of untreated silt. In particular, the permeability of MICP-treated silt A is almost impermeable.