Publication: ENHANCING SOIL QUALITY VIA MICROBIAL TREATMENT WITH VEGETABLE WASTE AND THE INCLUSION OF POLYETHYLENE PLASTIC AS STABILIZING AGENTS
Date
2024
Authors
Azam F.A.A.
Omar R.C.
Roslan R.
Baharudin I.N.Z.
Razali K.A.M.A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Microscopy Society of Malaysia
Abstract
Microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a well-known technique for soil stabilization utilizing microbes through biomineralization to improve soil engineering properties. This research emphasizes the potential use of fermented vegetables (vege grout) as sources of MICP microbes, not only for soil stabilization but also for the decomposition of Polyethylene (PE) plastic waste. The silty clayey soil type was treated with 15 %, 17.5 %, 20 %, and 22.5 % of vegetable grout liquid and cured for 35 days. The finding shows that the inclusion of 15 % vegetable grout reaches the highest strength of silty clayey soil type with 220 kPa shear strength after 35 days. The reduction in CBR value also demonstrated the improvement in the deformation behavior of soil after treatment. The SEM microstructural image shows the presence of Leuconostoc mesenteroides bacterium at an optimal level of 15 % vege grout additions after 35 days, leading to a new discovery in soil strengthening through the use of vege grout. Besides, the discoloration of PE plastic and the reduction of carbon content in soil from EDX analysis indicated the degradation of PE plastic. This result demonstrated that the utilization of vegetable and PE wastes had significant potential for preventing geotechnical engineering disasters which holds substantial importance from both economic and environmental perspectives in the future. ? Malaysian Journal of Microscopy (2024). All rights reserved.