Life Cycle Assessment of Biocemented Sands using Enzyme Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP) for Ground Improvement Applications
Abstract Integrating sustainability goals into the selection of suitable ground improvement techniques is a global trend. Several bio-inspired and bio-mediated ground improvement techniques have been recently investigated as sustainable alternatives for traditional ground improvement techniques known for their high carbon footprint. Enzyme Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP) is an emerging bio-inspired soil improvement technique that is based on the hydrolysis of urea to precipitate carbonates that cement sand particles. Life cycle assessment (LCA) study was conducted to compare the use of traditional ground improvement using Portland cement with bio-cementation via EICP over a range of environmental impacts. The LCA results revealed that EICP soil treatment has nearly 90% less abiotic depletion potential and 3% less global warming potential compared to cement. Compared to cement, EICP has higher acidification and eutrophication potentials due to byproducts during the hydrolysis process. The sensitivity analysis of EICP emissions showed that reducing and controlling the EICP process emissions and using waste non-fate milk has resulted in significantly fewer impacts compared to the EICP baseline scenario.