MICP incorporated biopolymer to mitigate wind erosion of sand.

Abstract

In this study, the Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) technique was integrated with four distinct biopolymers to evaluate the wind erosion resistance and durability of desert sand soil in Kashi, Xinjiang. The samples were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). SEM images revealed that the biopolymers effectively filled the interstitial spaces between calcium carbonate crystals and sand particles, thereby enhancing the cohesion of the soil matrix. XRD analysis indicated a significantly higher relative abundance of calcite mineral mass in samples incorporating biopolymers compared to those without biopolymers. EDS analysis demonstrated that samples containing biopolymers exhibited markedly elevated normalized concentrations of calcium ions, suggesting enhanced precipitation efficiency. Collectively, these findings confirm a substantial improvement in the bearing capacity, wind erosion resistance, and durability of the samples treated with biopolymers.