Establishing miniaturised structural testing techniques to enable high-throughput screening of microorganisms and...

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Microbiology

Background:

• Road construction is costly, especially in difficult environments, with soil property misinterpretations leading to premature failures and high maintenance costs.
• The construction industry is investigating biological processes and products to enhance the structural properties of in situ materials for sustainable infrastructure.
• Current bio-based solutions face limitations in microorganism selection and rapid structural testing for commercial product development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a high-throughput screening and selection methodology for bio-based soil stabilization materials.
• To assess the efficacy of fermentation-derived biological components using miniaturized structural tests.
• To evaluate a specific Bacillus isolate for its potential in soil stabilization applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printing to develop unique miniaturized test equipment.
• Conducted high-throughput testing of fermentation-derived biological materials.
• Evaluated material properties including resistance to abrasion, erosion, water absorption, and compression load.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed miniaturized equipment for rapid evaluation of biological components.
• Demonstrated the ability to screen and select microorganisms and their derivatives for soil stabilization.
• A Bacillus isolate exhibited significant strength characteristics suitable for soil stabilization.

Conclusions:

• The developed in vitro selection methodology enables rapid evaluation of bio-based materials for road construction.
• The study validates the potential of using biological components, like Bacillus isolates, for sustainable soil stabilization.
• This research lays the groundwork for creating effective bio-based structural materials for the road sector.