Geophysical Monitoring of Soil Stabilization Processes

Abstract:

Rapid growth of population led to the need of urban expansion into lands with problematic soils. For safe land development, the stability of problematic soils has to be enhanced. Among the many methods utilized, microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is of particular interest as a low energy, cost efficient and potentially long term ground improvement technique. As with other soil improvement methods though, high resolution temporal and spatial monitoring methods are missing. Geophysical methods can fill that gap, by efficiently complementing and extending current monitoring practices. Geophysical methods can offer low cost, no intrusive, continuous and spatially extensive monitoring of ground improvement techniques.

With this work we test two of the most promising methods for monitoring MICP, Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR); additionally, we performed shear wave velocity measurements – the established standard on soil strength characterization – for direct comparison with NMR and SIP. The tests were performed in columns filled with unconsolidated porous media (e.g. Ottawa sand, glass beads) while binding was promoted with the addition of calcite. For the first part of the experiment we used abiotic methods for Calcite formation, while the second part involves microbial induced processes. The objective of this work is to quantify the sensitivity of NMR and SIP on soil strengthening as a result of calcite precipitation. Early results suggest that both methods, SIP and NMR, are sensitive calcite precipitation and dissolution processes.