Table 1 -1: UCS values (kN/m”) of soil treated with enzyme.
Related Figures (6)
In clay water mixture positively charged ions (cat-ions) are present around the clay particles, creating a film of water around the clay particle that remains attached or adsorbed on the clay surface. The adsorbed water or double layer gives clay particles their plasticity. In some cases the clay can swell and the size of double layer increases, but it can be reduced by drying. Therefore, to truly improve the soil properties, it is necessary to permanently reduce the thickness of double layer. Cat-ion exchange processes can accomplish this. By utilizing fermentation processes specific micro-organisms can produce stabilizing enzyme in large quantity. These soil-stabilizing enzymes catalyze the reactions between the clay and the organic cat-ions and accelerate the cat-ionic exchange without becoming part of the end product. TerraZyme replaces adsorbed water with organic cations, thus neutralizing the negative charge on a clay particle. The organic cations also reduce the thickness of the electrical double layer. This allows TerraZyme treated soils to be compacted more tightly together. TerraZyme resists being replaced by water, thus reducing the tendency of some clay to swell. TerraZyme promotes the development of cementatious compounds using the following, general reaction: Fig 1: Percentage increase in U.C.S. after 1 day of curing. Fig 2: Percentage increase in U.C:S. after 7 day of curing. Fig 3: Relative increase in U.C.S. from 1 to 7 days of curing.
