Biogrout Production: Integration Potential and Research Challenges

The feasibility of using microbiological processes to improve the mechanical properties of soil by intact in-situ application has gained attention in the last decade. Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) by urea hydrolysis seems to be a promising technique to replace conventional nonsustainable siol improvments, but the commercial use of MICP remains hampered by the high costs related to substrates supply and removal of produced byproducts. As an alternative, a new innovative approach for soil improvement was introduced by using haloalkaliphilic anaerobic digestion integrated by chemical carbonate presipitation. Digesting the biomass anaerobically at high pH results in biogas that is enriched in methane, while the dissolved carbon dioxide together with Ca(NO3)2 are injected to the field where soil improvement is required.