Use of Biogeotechnologies for Soil Improvement

Abstract In this chapter, the principles of microbial geotechnical-based soil improvement methods are explained. Studies on the establishment of different applications of three biogeotechnological methods for soil improvement are presented. These include the biogas desaturation method for mitigation of soil liquefaction, which may become the most cost-effective method for the reduction of liquefaction risks; the biocrust method for the construction of temporary water storage pond in sandy soil; the biogrouting method for the protection of levees from erosion and seepage failure; and the biogrouting method for road construction and repair using biogrout made of waste materials. Although these biogeotechnological-based soil improvement methods have not yet been commonly adopted for real-world projects, they offer many advantages over the existing methods in terms of both cost and simplicity in construction and thus have the potential to become attractive soil improvement methods in the future.