You are on page 1of 10

Engineering Research Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired

Geotechnics (CBBG)

Title: Engineering Research Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG).
Ground engineering is a critical part of the construction of all civil infrastructure, remediation of
contaminated groundwater, mitigation against earthquakes and landslides, and the recovery of natural
resources. For example, buildings and bridges are supported through foundations by the ground, tunnels are
constructed in the ground, levees and damns are constructed of and on the ground, and natural resources
are mined or pumped from the ground and their waste materials, such as mine tailings, are placed on the
ground. Currently, almost all the methods used to engineer the ground use large amounts of energy and
material, typically cement and concrete, and produce large amounts of greenhouse gasses. Natural
biological processes can do many of the same things that engineers need to do, such as strengthen the soil
through the action of bacteria facilitating the cementation of sand particles to make sandstone, utilizing
significantly lower levels of energy and only the materials found naturally in the air and ground. The CBBG
ERC will conduct basic research to understand biological processes that act in the ground, including the
action of bacteria, plants and animals. The Center will develop ways to directly use naturally occurring
bacteria to strengthen the soil, to mitigate against earthquake-induced liquefaction, and clean up polluted
sites. It will also use methods inspired by biological processes to design more efficient tunneling processes,
foundations and sensors that can penetrate the ground and travel to desired locations. The expected
benefits of this research will be less costly construction of civil infrastructure with reduced energy and
material use and less environmental degradation. The CBBG's Innovation Ecosystem will bring together the
key industrial, regulatory and civil infrastructure stakeholders necessary to commercialize the Center's
research discoveries and to maximize benefits to society. In addition the Center is committed to educating,
preparing and inspiring a new generation of innovative biogeotechnical engineering students who will have
the opportunity to train in a multi-discipline, team-based interdisciplinary research setting. By leveraging
industrial partnerships and educating the workforce of the future the CBBG ERC will ensure that the United
States leads the world in the rapidly developing field of biogeotechnics.
The ERC is led by Arizona State University, with partners at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the
University of California, Davis, and New Mexico State University. Use of biological and bio-inspired processes
will create a paradigm shift in the practice of geotechnical engineering from one that depends on energy and
materials intensive solutions to one that minimizes the impact of its engineering solutions. Laboratory
investigations have already shown the potential of utilizing naturally occurring bacteria to mitigate
liquefaction through at least three different mechanisms, and to significantly reduce fugitive dust on dirt
roads and construction sites. Research has also shown that tree roots are significantly more efficient at
lateral wind load resistance than tower foundations, and ants are several orders of magnitude more efficient
than humans in tunneling. The Center will conduct fundamental engineering, biological, chemical and
engineering research to understand these biological processes. Using this knowledge, they will utilize Life
Cycle Cost Analyses (LCCA) and Life Cycle Sustainability Analyses (LCSA) to identify with their industrial
partners the most promising applications of this knowledge, and continue to evaluate these projects as they
move to the field scale. Test beds will be used to demonstrate the viability of the Center?s research and
provide realistic cost estimates to compare with current practice.

Bacteria Could Steady Buildings Against


Earthquakes

by Staff Writers
Davis CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2007

Soil bacteria could be used to help steady


buildings against earthquakes, according to
researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can
literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock. When
a major earthquake strikes, deep, sandy soils can
turn to liquid, with disastrous consequences for
buildings sitting on them. Currently, civil
engineers can inject chemicals into the soil to
bind loose grains together.

Bacillus pasteurii, a
natural soil bacterium.

But these epoxy chemicals may have toxic effects on soil and water, said
Jason DeJong, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering
at UC Davis.
The new process, so far tested only at a laboratory scale, takes advantage of
a natural soil bacterium, Bacillus pasteurii. The microbe causes calcite
(calcium carbonate) to be deposited around sand grains, cementing them
together. By injecting bacterial cultures, additional nutrients and oxygen,
DeJong and his colleagues found that they could turn loose, liquefiable sand
into a solid cylinder.
"Starting from a sand pile, you turn it back into sandstone," DeJong said.
Similar techniques have been used on a smaller scale, for example, to repair
cracks in statues, but not to reinforce soil.
The new method has several advantages, DeJong said. There are no toxicity
problems, compared with chemical methods. The treatment could be done
after construction or on an existing building, and the structure of the soil is not
changed -- some of the void spaces between grains are just filled in.
DeJong and his collaborators are working on scaling the method up to a
practical size, and applying for funds to test the method in the earthquakesimulating centrifuge at UC Davis' Center for Geotechnical Modeling. The
centrifuge is part of the national Network for Earthquake Engineering
Simulation, funded by the National Science Foundation.

Bacteria to protect
against quakes
If you live near the sea, chances are high that
your home is built over sandy soil. And if an
earthquake strikes, deep and sandy soils can turn
to liquid, with some disastrous consequences for
the buildings sitting on them. But now, U.S.
researchers have found a way to use bacteria to
steady buildings against earthquakes by turning
these sandy soils into rocks. Today, it is possible
to inject chemicals in the ground to reinforce it,
but this can have toxic effects on soil and water.
On the contrary, this use of common bacteria to
'cement' sands has no harmful effects on the
environment. But so far, this method is limited to
labs and the researchers are working on scaling
their technique.
If you live near the sea, chances are high that your home is built over sandy
soil. And if an earthquake strikes, deep and sandy soils can turn to liquid, with
some disastrous consequences for the buildings sitting on them. But now,
U.S. researchers have found a way to use bacteria to steady buildings against
earthquakes by turning these sandy soils into rocks. Today, it is possible to
inject chemicals in the ground to reinforce it, but this can have toxic effects on

soil and water. On the contrary, this use of common bacteria to 'cement' sands
has no harmful effects on the environment. But so far, this method is limited to
labs and the researchers are working on scaling their technique.
This process has been partially developed by Jason DeJong, an assistant
professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis. DeJong worked
with Michael Fritzges, a senior engineer at Langan Engineering,
Philadelphia, Klaus Nsslein, associate professor of microbiology at the
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the members of his lab.
In "Live Bacteria Could Reduce Earthquake Damage," LiveScience also looks
at this interesting development and features a photo gallery of deadly
earthquakes.
Below is one of these pictures showing how unstable ground can aggravate
the consequences of an earthquake. This one was taken after the 1989 Loma
Prieta earthquake in San Francisco. "An automobile lies crushed under the
third story of this apartment building in the Marina District. The ground levels
are no longer visible because of structural failure and sinking due to
liquefaction" (Credit: USGS). Here is a link to a larger version.

So what will be this new process useful for?


The new process, so far tested only at a laboratory scale, takes advantage of
a natural soil bacterium, Bacillus pasteurii. The microbe causes calcite
(calcium carbonate) to be deposited around sand grains, cementing them
together. By injecting bacterial cultures, additional nutrients and oxygen,
DeJong and his colleagues found that they could turn loose, liquefiable sand
into a solid cylinder.
The new method has several advantages, DeJong said. There are no toxicity
problems, compared with chemical methods. The treatment could be done
after construction or on an existing building, and the structure of the soil is not
changed -- some of the void spaces between grains are just filled in.
This research work has been published by the Journal of Geotechnical and
Geoenvironmental Engineering under the name "Microbially Induced
Cementation to Control Sand Response to Undrained Shear" (Volume 132,
Issue 11, pp. 1381-1392, November 2006). Here are some excerpts from the
abstract.
This paper presents the results of a study in which natural microbial biological
processes were used to engineer a cemented soil matrix within initially loose,
collapsible sand. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) was
achieved using the microorganism Bacillus pasteurii, an aerobic bacterium
pervasive in natural soil deposits.
The microbes were introduced to the sand specimens in a liquid growth
medium amended with urea and a dissolved calcium source. Subsequent
cementation treatments were passed through the specimen to increase the
cementation level of the sand particle matrix.

And what were the results of these experiments?


SEM microscopy verified formation of a cemented sand matrix with a
concentration of precipitated calcite forming bonds at particle-particle
contacts. X-ray compositional mapping confirmed that the observed cement
bonds were comprised of calcite.
Now, the researchers have to prove that their method can be used outside the
labs. And they're working on scaling their technique by testing it in the
earthquake-simulating centrifuge at UC Davis' Center for Geotechnical
Modeling.
Bacteria can help prevent earthquake damage
Bacteria can help prevent earthquake damage
University of California Davis
February 21, 2007

Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes, according to researchers
at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock.
When a major earthquake strikes, deep, sandy soils can turn to liquid, with disastrous consequences
for buildings sitting on them. Currently, civil engineers can inject chemicals into the soil to bind loose
grains together. But these epoxy chemicals may have toxic effects on soil and water, said Jason
DeJong, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis.

Jason DeJong
Related articles

Bacteria can generate renewable energy from pollut

way to solve both problems using bacteria to conve

Bacteria can ensure clean water say researchers. W

minimal amount of energy and generating no harmf

Carbon dioxide-eating enzyme could fight global wa

The new process, so far tested only at a laboratory scale, takes advantage of a natural soil
bacterium, Bacillus pasteurii. The microbe causes calcite (calcium carbonate) to be deposited
around sand grains, cementing them together. By injecting bacterial cultures, additional nutrients and
oxygen, DeJong and his colleagues found that they could turn loose, liquefiable sand into a solid
cylinder.
Starting from a sand pile, you turn it back into sandstone, DeJong said. Similar techniques have
been used on a smaller scale, for example, to repair cracks in statues, but not to reinforce soil.
The new method has several advantages, DeJong said. There are no toxicity problems, compared
with chemical methods. The treatment could be done after construction or on an existing building,
and the structure of the soil is not changed some of the void spaces between grains are just filled
in.
DeJong and his collaborators are working on scaling the method up to a practical size, and applying
for funds to test the method in the earthquake-simulating centrifuge at UC Davis Center for
Geotechnical Modeling. The centrifuge is part of the national Network for Earthquake Engineering
Simulation, funded by the National Science Foundation.

DeJong, J.T., Fritzges, M.B., and Nsslein, K. (2007) Microbial Induced Cementation to Control
Sand Response to Undrained Shear, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
This is a modified news release from the University of California Davis
Comments?

News options

Sources: https://news.mongabay.com/2007/02/bacteria-can-help-preventearthquake-damage/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/bacteria-to-protect-against-quakes/
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Bacteria_Could_Steady_Buildings_Against_Earthqu
akes_999.html
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1449501
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070222104624.htm

Bacteria Could Steady Buildings Against Earthquakes


February 26, 2007
University of California - Davis

Date:
Source:

Summary:
Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes, according to
researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock.
Share:
FULL STORY

Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes,


according to researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert
loose, sandy soil into rock.
When a major earthquake strikes, deep, sandy soils can turn to liquid, with disastrous consequences
for buildings sitting on them. Currently, civil engineers can inject chemicals into the soil to bind loose

grains together. But these epoxy chemicals may have toxic effects on soil and water, said Jason
DeJong, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis.
The new process, so far tested only at a laboratory scale, takes advantage of a natural soil
bacterium, Bacillus pasteurii. The microbe causes calcite (calcium carbonate) to be deposited
around sand grains, cementing them together. By injecting bacterial cultures, additional nutrients and
oxygen, DeJong and his colleagues found that they could turn loose, liquefiable sand into a solid
cylinder.
"Starting from a sand pile, you turn it back into sandstone," DeJong said. Similar techniques have
been used on a smaller scale, for example, to repair cracks in statues, but not to reinforce soil.
The new method has several advantages, DeJong said. There are no toxicity problems, compared
with chemical methods. The treatment could be done after construction or on an existing building,
and the structure of the soil is not changed -- some of the void spaces between grains are just filled
in.
DeJong and his collaborators are working on scaling the method up to a practical size, and applying
for funds to test the method in the earthquake-simulating centrifuge at UC Davis' Center for
Geotechnical Modeling. The centrifuge is part of the national Network for Earthquake Engineering
Simulation, funded by the National Science Foundation.
A paper describing the work has been published in the Journal of Geotechnical and
Geoenvironmental Engineering. The other authors are Michael Fritzges, a senior engineer at Langan
Engineering, Philadelphia; and Klaus Nsslein, associate professor of microbiology at the University
of Massachusetts, Amherst. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation.

You might also like