Executive Summary : | Geotechnical engineering has long been viewed as inert from biological perspectives, but the development of a strategy to measure and monitor biological influences on soil properties remains a major bottleneck. Historically, efforts have focused on the principles of soil-seismic wave interactions, but this method yields limited information, primarily related to soil stiffness. Electromagnetic (EM) measurements offer a minimally invasive and rapid approach to measure and monitor soil state parameters. Depending on the frequency of measurement, soil properties can be measured and monitored on particle and field scales. This project aims to advance the fundamentals, characterisation, and monitoring strategies for properties of biomediated soils using the expertise of PI Mishra on geotechnical engineering, soil-EM wave interaction, and Co-PI Sahoo on soil stabilization. The chosen biomediation is the use of biopolymers as a green stabiliser for soils. Two selected biopolymers will be used, and the resulting alteration on hydromechanical (HM) behavior of two soil samples with varied gradational properties will be studied through low frequency impedance spectroscopy and time domain reflectometry (TDR). Impedance spectroscopy will reveal the fundamental polarization mechanisms between soil and biopolymers, while TDR measurements will support measurement and monitoring of state parameters of biopolymer amended soils. The proposed research will advance our understanding of biopolymer amendment on soil properties through EM methods and provide a path forward for measuring monitoring strategies of biopolymer amended soils using EM methods. These outcomes will be useful precursors for future studies to capture spatio-temporal properties of biomediated soils and develop numerical modeling tools for prediction. |