BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2025-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2025.100177
{"title":"Erratum regarding updating Declaration of Competing Interest statements in previously published articles","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2025.100177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2025.100177","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100177"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"High-temporal-resolution ERT characterization for vegetation effects on soil hydrological response under wet-dry cycles","authors":"Wei Yan , Weiming Xu , Taosheng Huang , Ping Shen , Wan-Huan Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Characterization of vegetation effect on soil response is essential for comprehending site-specific hydrological processes. Traditional research often relies on sensors or remote sensing data to examine the hydrological properties of vegetation zones, yet these methods are limited by either measurement sparsity or spatial inaccuracy. Therefore, this paper is the first to propose a data-driven approach that incorporates high-temporal-resolution electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to quantify soil hydrological response. Time-lapse ERT is deployed on a vegetated slope site in Foshan, China, during a discontinuous rainfall induced by Typhoon Haikui. A total of 97 ERT measurements were collected with an average time interval of 2.7 hours. The Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) is applied to quantify the level of response and objectively classify impact zones based on features extracted directly from the ERT data. The resistivity-moisture content correlation is established based on on-site sensor data to characterize infiltration and evapotranspiration across wet-dry conditions. The findings are compared with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a common indicator for vegetation quantification, to reveal potential spatial errors in remote sensing data. In addition, this study provides discussions on the potential applications and future directions. This paper showcases significant spatio-temporal advantages over existing studies, providing a more detailed and accurate characterization of superficial soil hydrological response.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-11-22DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100154
Yaru Lv , Lin Wu , Zhigang Duan , Yuchen Su , Dongdong Zhang
{"title":"Impact behavior and strain rate effects of artificial limestone by MICP","authors":"Yaru Lv , Lin Wu , Zhigang Duan , Yuchen Su , Dongdong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural cemented calcareous sand and limestone are highly complex and not well understood in terms of the mechanical behavior due to the difficulty of obtaining undisturbed samples from far sea. This paper proposes an artificial method in a laboratory setting using microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) to simulate the natural process of cementation of limestone. The artificially cemented sand has a high degree of similarity with the natural weakly limestone in three aspects: (1) the mineral composition of the cemented material is also granular calcite and acicular aragonite; (2) the microstructure in interconnected open pore network can be gradually closed and contracted with cementation. The porosity reaches to approximately 9.2%; (3) both the stress-strain relationship and the unconfined strength closely resemble that of natural weakly limestone. Furthermore, both static and dynamic behaviors of artificial limestone were studied by quasi-static compression tests and Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) tests, finding that the unconfined strength of weakly artifical limestone exponentially increases with increasing strain rate. A rate-dependent bond strength was proposed and implemented in software to reveal the mechanism of strain rate effects. It is found that the loading velocity is too high to keep in sync with the initiation and propagation of cracks under impact loading. This delay-induced viscosity may restrict the movement of the surrounding balls, thus increasing resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100154"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-11-03DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100137
Emmanuel Salifu , Giuseppe Di Rauso Simeone , Giacomo Russo , Maria A. Rao , Gianfranco Urciuoli , Grainne El Mountassir
{"title":"Influence of environmental conditions on the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus in sand","authors":"Emmanuel Salifu , Giuseppe Di Rauso Simeone , Giacomo Russo , Maria A. Rao , Gianfranco Urciuoli , Grainne El Mountassir","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100137","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pleurotus ostreatus,</em> a saprotrophic fungus, has been proposed for the remediation of organic contaminants in soils and more recently for modifying the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of granular soils. The in situ performance of fungal-based biotechnologies will be controlled by the fungal growth and associated biochemical activity that can be achieved in soil. In this study, the influence of environmental conditions (temperature, degree of saturation), substrate type (lignocellulose and spent coffee grounds) and concentration on the mycelium growth of <em>P. ostreatus</em> in sand are investigated. Furthermore, the evolution of growth/survival indicators (respiration, ergosterol concentration) and enzymatic activity (laccase, manganese peroxidase) are investigated. Temperature was shown to have a strong influence on the growth of <em>P.ostreatus</em> in sand: growth was observed to be delayed at low temperatures (e.g. 5 °C), whereas growth was prevented at high temperatures (e.g. 35 °C). No growth was observed at very low degrees of saturation (<em>S</em><sub><em>r</em></sub><em>=</em>0% and 1.2%), indicating there is a critical water content required to support <em>P.ostreatus</em> growth. Within the mid-range of water contents tested radially, growth of <em>P.</em>ostreatus was similar. However, growth under saturated soil conditions was restricted to the air-water atmosphere due to the requirement for oxygen availability. Low substrate concentrations (1%–5%) resulted in high radial growth of <em>P.ostreatus</em>, whereas increasing substrate content further acted to reduce radial growth, but visual observations indicated that fungal biomass density increased. These results are important for understanding the feasibility of <em>P.ostreatus</em> growth under specific site conditions and for the design of successful treatment strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100131
Kemeng Yu, Yuling Ran, Jie Shi, Menglan Duan, Zhongkun Ouyang
{"title":"Physical property of MICP-treated calcareous sand under seawater conditions by CPTU","authors":"Kemeng Yu, Yuling Ran, Jie Shi, Menglan Duan, Zhongkun Ouyang","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100131","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100131","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>MICP (Microbially induced calcite precipitation), an environmentally friendly soil improvement technique, has great potential in ocean engineering due to its ability to promote the precipitation of calcium carbonate through microbial activity to enhance the engineering properties of geomaterials. In this study, piezocone penetration test (CPTU) is used to evaluate the effectiveness of MICP treatment in calcareous sand. The change of physical properties (relative density <em>D</em><sub>r</sub> and total unit weight <em>γ</em><sub>t</sub>) of MICP treated calcareous sand is investigated by conducting CPTU on the geomaterials prepared in a series of mini calibration chambers (25 cm × 50 cm). Results indicate that CPTU (tip stress, sleeve friction, and porewater pressure) measurements can be used to interpret the physical characteristics of calcareous sand treated with MICP under seawater conditions. Additionally, a relationship between CPTU measurements, physical parameters (relative density <em>D</em><sub>r</sub> and total unit weight <em>γ</em><sub>t</sub>) of MICP treated calcareous sand is proposed and calibrated. The findings of the research extend the implementation of in-situ testing techniques such as CPTU towards physical property evaluation of bio-treated geomaterials in ocean environment, and demonstrate the potential of scaling up MICP techniques for broader engineering application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 1","pages":"Article 100131"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-09-30DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100120
Rafaela Cardoso , Thomas Drouinot , Susana Cardoso de Freitas
{"title":"Miniaturized device to measure urease activity in the soil interstitial fluid using wenner method","authors":"Rafaela Cardoso , Thomas Drouinot , Susana Cardoso de Freitas","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100120","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100120","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a microdevice developed to measure the electrical conductivity of a liquid or a saturated porous medium using Wenner method. It is developed in the context of biocementation as soil improvement technique, which is used in Civil Engineering applications to produce calcium carbonate through bacterial or enzymatic activity, replacing the use of other binder materials such as cement or resins, and therefore reducing carbon footprint. The microdevice was used to measure urease activity in the soil interstitial fluid, to investigate if bacterial activity could be affected by the presence of the particles and tortuosity from pore geometry. Such analysis is important to understand biocementation mechanism inside the soil and helps to improve the design of such treatment solutions. The device is basically a squared reservoir printed in polypropylene using a 3D printing machine, incorporating stainless steel electrodes in its base. The electrical resistivity was computed adopting Wenner method, by connecting 4 PCB electrodes to a signal generator and an oscilloscope for measuring the voltage when a AC current of 1 mA was applied. Both square and sinusoidal waves with 5 kHz frequency were selected among other frequencies. The measurements were adjusted during the calibration of the microdevice, done using standard salt solutions with known electrical conductivity measured using an electrical conductivity probe. For the bacterial activity measurements, the bacterial and urea solutions were added to a uniform-graded size quarzitic sand (average diameter 0.3 mm) placed inside the microdevice and covering completely the electrodes. Bacterial activity was not affected by the presence of the sand, which confirms that this treatment is effective for this type of soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 1","pages":"Article 100120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100139
Qi Zhang , Haiyi Zhong , Haowen Guo , Junjun Ni
{"title":"Climate impacts on deformation and instability of vegetated slopes","authors":"Qi Zhang , Haiyi Zhong , Haowen Guo , Junjun Ni","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eco-geotechnical engineering plays a pivotal role in enhancing global sustainability and upholding the performance of earthen structures. The utilization of vegetation to stabilise geotechnical infrastructures is widely recognized and embraced for its environmentally friendly attributes. The spectre of climate change further intensifies the focus on the effects of temperature and humidity on vegetated soil. Consequently, there is a pressing need for research exploring the influence of changing climates on vegetated infrastructures. Such research demands a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, bridging fields such as soil mechanics, botany, and atmospheric science. This review underscores key facets crucial to vegetated geotechnical infrastructures, encompassing climate projections, centrifuge modelling, field monitoring, and numerical methodologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-09-07DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100136
Xiangwei Fang , Chao Chen , Ganggang Zhou , Zhixiong Chen , Chunyan Wang , Luqi Wang
{"title":"Experimental investigation on response of biocemented coral sand pile composite foundation under seismic waves","authors":"Xiangwei Fang , Chao Chen , Ganggang Zhou , Zhixiong Chen , Chunyan Wang , Luqi Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The biocemented coral sand pile composite foundation represents an innovative foundation improvement technology, utilizing Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) to consolidate a specific volume of coral sand within the foundation into piles with defined strength, thereby enabling them to collaboratively bear external loads with the surrounding unconsolidated coral sand. In this study, a series of shaking table model tests were conducted to explore the dynamic response of the biocemented coral sand pile composite foundation under varying seismic wave types and peak accelerations. The surface macroscopic phenomena, excess pore water pressure ratio, acceleration response, and vertical settlement were measured and analysed in detail. Test results show that seismic wave types play a decisive role in the macroscopic surface phenomena and the response of the excess pore water pressure ratio. The cumulative settlement of the upper structure under the action of Taft waves was about 1.5 times that of El Centro waves and Kobe waves. The most pronounced liquefaction phenomena were recorded under the Taft wave, followed by the El Centro wave, and subsequently the Kobe wave. An observed positive correlation was established between the liquefaction phenomenon and the Aristotelian intensity of the seismic waves. However, variations in seismic wave types exerted minimal influence on the acceleration amplification factor of the coral sand foundation. Analysis of the acceleration amplification factor revealed a triphasic pattern—initially increasing, subsequently decreasing, and finally increasing again—as burial depth increased, in relation to the peak value of the input acceleration. This study confirms that the biocemented coral sand pile composite foundation can effectively enhance the liquefaction resistance of coral sand foundations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100136"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-08-31DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100138
Min Kyung Jeon , Matthew Burrall , Tae Hyuk Kwon , Jason T. DeJong , Alejandro Martinez
{"title":"Architecture characterization of orchard trees for mechanical behavior investigations","authors":"Min Kyung Jeon , Matthew Burrall , Tae Hyuk Kwon , Jason T. DeJong , Alejandro Martinez","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Characterizing the architecture of tree root systems is essential to advance the development of root-inspired anchorage in engineered systems. This study explores the structural root architectures of orchard trees to understand the interplays between the mechanical behavior of roots and the root architecture. Full three-dimensional (3D) models of natural tree root systems, Lovell, Marianna, and Myrobalan, that were extracted from the ground by vertical pullout are reconstructed through photogrammetry and later skeletonized as nodes and root branch segments. Combined analyses of the full 3D models and skeletonized models enable a detailed examination of basic bulk properties and quantification of architectural parameters. While the root segments are divided into three categories, trunk root, main lateral root, and remaining roots, the patterns in branching and diameter distributions show significant differences between the trunk and main laterals versus the remaining lateral roots. In general, the branching angle decreases over the sequence of bifurcations. The main lateral roots near the trunk show significant spreading while the lateral roots near the ends grow roughly parallel to the parent root. For branch length, the roots bifurcate more frequently near the trunk and later they grow longer. Local thickness analysis confirms that the root diameter decays at a higher rate near the trunk than in the remaining lateral roots, while the total cross-sectional area across a bifurcation node remains mostly conserved. The histograms of branching angle, and branch length and thickness gradient can be described using lognormal and exponential distributions, respectively. This unique study presents data to characterize mechanically important structural roots, which may help link root architecture to the mechanical behaviors of root structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 2","pages":"Article 100138"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiogeotechnicsPub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100121
Zhengjun Mao , Xu Ma , Mimi Geng , Munan Wang , Guangsheng Gao , Yanshan Tian
{"title":"Development characteristics and quantitative analysis of cracks in root-soil complex during different growth periods under dry-wet cycles","authors":"Zhengjun Mao , Xu Ma , Mimi Geng , Munan Wang , Guangsheng Gao , Yanshan Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100121","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bgtech.2024.100121","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Repeated wet swelling and dry shrinkage of soil leads to the gradual occurrence of cracks and the formation of a complex fracture network. In order to study the development characteristics and quantitative analysis of cracks in root-soil complex in different growth periods under dry-wet cycles, the alfalfa root-loess complex was investigated during different growth periods under different dry-wet cycles, and a dry-wet cycle experiment was conducted. The crack rate, relative area, average width, total length, and the cracks fractal dimension in the root-soil complex were extracted; the crack development characteristics of plain soil were analyzed under the PG-DWC (dry-wet cycle caused by plant water management during plant growth period), as well as the crack development characteristics of root-soil complex under PG-DWC and EC-DWC (the dry-wet cycles caused by extreme natural conditions such as continuous rain); the effects of plant roots and dry-wet cycles on soil cracks were discussed. The results showed that the average crack width, crack rate, relative crack area, and total crack length of the alfalfa root-loess complex were higher than those of the plain soil during PG-DWC. The result indicated that compared with plain soil during PG-DWC, the presence of plant roots in alfalfa root-soil complex in the same growth period promoted the cracks development to some extent. The alfalfa root-soil complex crack parameters during different growth periods were relatively stable during PG-DWC (0 dry-wet cycle). During EC-DWC (1, 3, and 5 dry-wet cycles), the alfalfa root-loess complex crack parameters increased with the number of dry-wet cycles during different growth periods. Unlike PG-DWC, the EC-DWC accelerated crack development, and the degree of crack development increased with the number of dry-wet cycles. The existence of plant roots promoted crack development and expansion in the root-soil complex to a certain extent, and the dry-wet cycle certainly promoted crack development and expansion in the root-soil complex. This result contradicts the improvement in the root-soil complex's macro-mechanical properties during plant growth, due to differences in the mechanical properties of roots and soil. The research results will provide reference for the root soil complex crack development law and the design of slope protection by vegetation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100175,"journal":{"name":"Biogeotechnics","volume":"3 1","pages":"Article 100121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141839789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}