IIT Mandi to put end at soil erosion using this method
India Today
IIT Mandi team has developed methods of soil stabilisation using soil bacteria.
IIT Mandi researchers work towards developing sustainable techniques for soil stabilisation using a harmless bacteria called S. Pasteurii that hydrolyse urea to precipitate calcite. The process does not involve hazardous chemicals and natural resources can be used sustainably.
The findings of the research team have recently been published in the journal ‘Geotechnical and Geo-environmental Engineering of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)’.The research was led by Dr. Kala Venkata Uday, and co-authored by his MS scholar, Deepak Mori.
Soil stabilisation is the process of conferring long-term permanent strength to the soil by artificial means. It is used when construction work must be carried out on unstable grounds or to protect soil from erosion.
Traditionally, mechanical processes such as compression and chemical processes such as the injection of chemical grout fluids into the soil are used for soil stabilisation.
In the past decades, an eco-friendly and sustainable soil stabilisation technique Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is being investigated worldwide.
In this method, bacteria are used to produce calcium carbonate (calcite) within soil pores, which cements the individual grains together, thereby enhancing the soil/ground strength.
