Evaluation of microstructural strength of bio-cemented sand crust using rheometry

Abstract

Testing using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and rheological analysis were conducted to analyse the detachment behaviour of bio-cemented soil at a microstructural level. Preventing detachment of soil particles from the ground surface is the key to mitigating the generation of fugitive dust due to wind-blown soil, a significant environmental problem in arid and semi-arid regions. Bio-cementation by way of enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) has shown potential for mitigating soil particle detachment and the associated fugitive dust emissions. A strong correlation between particle detachment rate measured in wind tunnel tests and amplitude sweep test results using the DSR demonstrates the ability of the device to capture the detachment potential of soil bio-cemented using EICP. In addition to facilitating optimisation of bio-cementation for dust control, the rheometer tests also give an insight into the efficacy of rheometry for assessing soil microstructure strength for other geotechnical applications.