Study on Mechanical Properties of Sandy Soil Solidified by Enzyme-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (EICP)

Abstract

Earth–rock dams are widely distributed in China and play an important role in flood control, water storage, water-level regulation, and water quality improvement. As an emerging seepage control and reinforcement technology in the past few years, enzyme (urease)-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) has the qualities of durability, environmental friendliness, and great economic efficiency. For EICP-solidified standard sand, this study analyzes the effect of dry density, amount of cementation, standing time, perfusion method, and other factors on the permeability and strength characteristics of solidified sandy soil by conducting a permeability test and an unconfined compression test and then working out the optimal solidification conditions of EICP. Furthermore, a quantitative relationship is established between the permeability coefficient (PC), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and CaCO3 generation (CG). The test findings indicate that the PC of the solidified sandy soil decreases and the UCS rises as the starting dry density, amount of cementation, and standing time rise. With the increase of CG, the PC of the solidified sandy soil decreases while the UCS increases, indicating a good correlation among PC, UCS, and CG. The optimal condition of solidification by EICP is achieved by the two-stage grouting method with an initial dry density of 1.65 g/cm3, cementation time of 6 d, and standing time of 5 d. Under such conditions, the permeability of the solidified sandy soil is 6.25 × 10−4 cm/s, and the UCS is 1646.94 kPa. The findings of this study are of great theoretical value and scientific significance for guiding the reinforcement of earth–rock dams.