Use bacteria against earthquakes

Bacillus pasteurii bacteria have the ability to turn sand into cement. US researchers have taken the initiative to use them to make a porous soil solid, protecting earthquake-proof buildings.

Bacillus pasteurii (Photo: playfuls)

When the earth shook, the sandy areas became almost liquid and the buildings located in these areas could not resist. To solve this problem, so far only measures have been taken to put epoxy resin in the soil to harden the soil. But this toxin has harmful environmental consequences.

Another researcher, Jason Dejon of the University of California, tested another method. It is the use of Bacillus pasteurii specialized in making calcite (calcium carbonate) that binds sand grains together. This species has been used to seal cracks in statues.

Researchers have demonstrated that by introducing this bacterium into sandy soils and nutrients and oxygen, a solid cylinder made of clay is created. This nontoxic therapy can be done before, even after building a house. The structure of the soil remains unchanged, only the empty space between the grains of sand becomes solid.

Researchers are currently at a wider scale of testing and are prepared to use an earthquake simulation centrifuge located at UC Davis University. Some similar machines are available in the US, Japan and Europe.

Bacillus pasteurii creates calcite ( calcium carbonate ) that binds sand grains together.
(Photo: Discovery)

NS