Electromagnetic Enhancement of Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation
Uniform distribution of soluble and insoluble materials into saturated porous soil is often challenging for geotechnical applications, due to the random formation of fingers, i.e., a form of instability at the interface of materials with contrasting densi
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Electromagnetic Enhancement of Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation Jon Bender, Arvin Farid, Ken Cornel, Jim Browning, and Elisa Barney Smith
Abstract Uniform distribution of soluble and insoluble materials into saturated porous soil is often challenging for geotechnical applications, due to the random formation of fingers, i.e., a form of instability at the interface of materials with contrasting density and viscosity. A mechanism by which, one could control this random fingering tendency would support a broad array of applications where it is desirable to uniformly penetrate soil with a substance. In our previous research, the use of electromagnetic (EM) waves has been demonstrated to be effective to induce multiphase flow of dense (ρ > 1 g/cm3) materials in aqueous media, as well as to control air-channel formation in air sparging. EM waves with carefully predesigned radiation pattern were shown to induce a directed two-phase flow in aqueous and saturated porous media with relatively low energy input and minimal heat generation. A homogeneous medium of saturated Ottawa sand within a dimensionally scaled cavity (a Plexiglas tank with its walls covered with transparent, electrically conductive films), designed with a reservoir at the bottom plumbed to maintain constant head, was used to simulate the soil medium. Then, a nonaqueous liquid was supplied, an even distribution of which (throughout the soil volume) was desired. In current practice, such an application would have limited success, owing to the aforementioned fingering effects, as well as the relatively slow process of natural dispersion. Such a case is used as the control. In the study case, EM waves were then launched into the cavity using a loop antenna sharing the ground as the cavity at the best impedance-matched frequency. The EM filed was also numerically J. Bender (*) • A. Farid Civil Engineering, Boise State University, MS 2060, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, USA e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] K. Cornel Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, MS 1520, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, USA e-mail: [email protected] J. Browning • E.B. Smith Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boise State University, MS 2075, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, USA e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 G.L. Sivakumar Babu et al. (eds.), Geoenvironmental Practices and Sustainability, Developments in Geotechnical Engineering, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4077-1_32
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simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics finite-element analysis software. The model was also experimentally validated using experimental measurement. Observations and measurements of the induced flow are then made to assess the effectiveness of the distribution. Infiltrating materials to be studied include ionic, soluble nonionic, and biological samples, selected based on their value for various geotechnical applications. Subsequent pilot- or field-scale testing i
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