A Review on the Importance of Microbial Biopolymers Such as Xanthan Gum to Improve Soil Properties

Mendonça, Amanda; Morais, Paula V.; Pires, Ana Cecília; Oliveira, Paulo J. Venda

doi:10.3390/app11010170

Cited by 40 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The XG initially lled in or near the pores either developed into bonding surface, merged into bridge links, or accumulated into ber matrices, which connected the adjacent soil frameworks closely 23,25,26,29,42 . As the contact area among the soil particles increased, the integrity of soil particles was enhanced, and the particle size of soil skeleton particles became larger.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Splitting tensile strength and microstructure of xanthan gum-treated loess

Zhang

Jiang

Zhao

2022

Preprint

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The tensile strength of loess is closely related to geological disasters. As an eco-friendly material, biopolymers have an excellent strengthening effect on the mechanical properties of soil. The effect of different initial dry densities and Xanthan gum (XG) contents on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of XG-treated loess was studied through a series of microscopic tests and splitting tensile tests based on the PIV technique. The results show that during the dehydration process, the XG became concentrated and agglomerated, forming bridge links between soil particles and covering the surface of soil particles. The XG-treated loess had a major concentration of micropores and mesopores, with greater peak intensities of pore size distribution curve than untreated loess. The load-displacement relation curves of specimens with different XG contents and initial dry densities showed strain-softening. The displacement vector field indicated that the primary cracks of specimens were radial vertical, the secondary cracks were well developed. With the increase of the XG content and initial dry density, the strain-softening phenomenon was more significant, the splitting tensile strength and brittleness of specimens were greater. XG treatment made the soils obtain stronger cementation and denser structure, which helped to increase strength and brittleness.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing studies have shown that biopolymers have excellent performance in soil reinforcement, promoting vegetation growth and desert control [21][22][23] . As one of the biopolymers, Xanthan gum (XG) can provide higher uncon ned compressive strength than guar gum and β-glucan 24 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Splitting tensile strength and microstructure of xanthan gum-treated loess

Zhang

Jiang

Zhao

2022

Preprint

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“…It can be expected that xanthan gum biopolymers can provide stronger hydrogen or electrostatic bonding by curing [35]. With increasing curing time, the crosslinking of the biopolymer gel with the negatively charged clay surface becomes stronger, leading to an increase in the bonding strength between particles [36,37]. Figure 5 shows that the UCS for both the biopolymer-stabilized and fiber-reinforced soil increases considerably when cured in the air.…”

Section: Effect Of Fibers and Biopolymer On Soil Strengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Effect of Biopolymer and Fiber Inclusions on Unconfined Compressive Strength of Soft Soil

Chen

Wei

et al. 2022

Polymers

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The utilizing of traditional chemical stabilizers could improve soil engineering properties but also results in brittle behavior and causes environmental problems. This study investigates the feasibility of the combined utilization of an ecofriendly biopolymer and fiber inclusions as an alternative to traditional cement for reinforcing soft soil. A series of unconfined compression tests were conducted to examine the combined effect of the biopolymer and fibers on the stress–strain characteristics, strength improvement, failure pattern, and reinforcement mechanism of soft soil. The results show that the biopolymer associated with fibers has an unconfined compressive strength similar to that of fiber-reinforced soil. However, it then increases with different curing times and conditions, which can be up to 1.5 MPa–2.5 MPa. The combined effect of fibers and the biopolymer is not simply equivalent to the sum of the effects of each individual material. The fiber shows its role instantly after being mixed into soil, whereas the effect of biopolymer gradually appears with sample curing time. The biopolymer plays a dominant role in increasing the peak unconfined compressive strength and brittleness of soil, while the amount of fiber is crucial for reducing soil brittleness and increasing ductility. It is shown that the biopolymer not only contributes to the particle bonding force but also facilitates the reinforcement efficiency of fibers in the soil. The fibers in return assist in reducing the soil brittleness arising from biopolymer cementation and provide residual resistance after post-peak failure.

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“…The potential and recent applications of xanthan gum biopolymer, with a particular focus on improving soil properties is reviewed by Mendonça et al [4]. Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide formed by aerobic fermentation of sugar by Xanthomonas campestris.…”

Section: Industrial Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%