Effects of soluble soybean polysaccharide on the distribution of biomineral precipitation in aeolian sands: Experiments and numerical analysis

Abstract

The biologically induced precipitation method has demonstrated great potential in enhancing the wind erosion resistance of desert aeolian sands due to its low-cost and sustainability. This method, however, often results in unevenly biomineral distribution, leading to suboptimal performance despite consistent precipitation content. This study explored soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) as a natural additive to improve the spatial distribution of biominerals in aeolian sands treated by soybean-urease induced carbonate precipitation (SICP). A series of liquid batch tests and soil column experiments were conducted. The overall reaction rate was quantified using ammonium production data and modeled using first-order kinetics. The results show that incorporation of 3 g/L SSPS improves the uniformity of biomineral distribution, which reduced the largest deviation from 44% to 2% without reducing the reaction rate. On the contrary, the reaction rate increases by 1.5 times compared to the case without SSPS. Numerical analysis and protein measurements indicate that SSPS improves the uniformity of urease distribution. The dual enhancement in the uniformity of biomineral distribution and reaction rate can be attributed to the protein-stabilizing properties of SSPS, which can mitigate enzyme flocculation and sustain catalytic capacity throughout the soil column. The dual optimizing effects make SSPS a promising and effective bio-compatible additive for improving the efficiency of SICP in porous media.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

SICP / SSPS / calcium carbonate distribution / experimental-numerical approach / porous media

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