Hydrogel biocement systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10794029-B2
Application number	US-201716077435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2017
Priority date	Feb 12, 2016
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A soil stabilization method of forming an admixture of at least one hydrogel precursor and urease enzyme, and contacting at least a portion of the admixture with soil, and forming a hydrogel network in-situ within at least a portion of the soil, wherein at least a portion of the hydrogel network includes in-situ precipitated calcium carbonate. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the hydrogel network is formed in-situ by polymerizing the at least one hydrogel precursor in the presence of the urease enzyme.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A soil stabilization method comprising;
forming an admixture of at least one hydrogel precursor and urease enzyme;
contacting at least a portion of the admixture with soil; and
forming a hydrogel network in-situ within at least a portion of the soil, wherein at least a portion of the hydrogel network includes in-situ precipitated calcium carbonate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hydrogel precursor comprises at least one hydrogel monomer or pre-polymer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hydrogel precursor comprises a hydrogel polymer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting occurs by injecting or pumping the admixture into the soil.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting occurs by soaking the admixture into the soil.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting occurs by mixing the soil and the admixture.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the soil includes at least one of a soil surface and a bulk soil.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the urease enzyme is added to the admixture prior to contacting the admixture with the soil.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the urease enzyme is present in the soil.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the calcium carbonate precipitate is derived from at least one calcium salt added to the admixture prior to contacting the admixture with the soil.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the calcium carbonate precipitate is derived from at least one divalent metal salt present in the soil.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the carbonate precipitate is dispersed through at least a portion of the hydrogel network.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the hydrogel network is formed in-situ by polymerizing the at least one hydrogel precursor in the presence of the urease enzyme.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hydrogel precursor is acrylic acid.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hydrogel precursor is selected from polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethane, sodium polyacrylate and acrylate polymers and copolymers, dextran, and hyaluronan.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hydrogel precursor is selected from xanthan gum, guar gum, acacia tragacanth, chitosan, pectin, align, agar-agar, carrageenan, cassia gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, gellan gum, hydroxypropyl cellulose, Konjac gum, locust bean gum, plant-derived methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and microcrystalline cellulose.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogel network comprises a polyacrylic acid gel.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the calcium salt is calcium chloride.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the admixture includes urea.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogel network forms a root-like structure within the soil.

Assignees

• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• He Ximin
• Kavazanjian Edward
• Hamdan Nasser
• Zhao Zhi

Classifications

• E02D3/12 Primary

  Consolidating by placing solidifying or pore-filling substances in the soil (making piles E02D5/46; soil-conditioning or soil-stabilising materials C09K17/00; consolidation of ground around boreholes or wells E21B43/025) · CPC title

• C09K17/50 Primary

  the organic compound being of natural origin, e.g. cellulose derivatives · CPC title

• C09K3/22

  for dust-laying or dust-absorbing · CPC title

• C08L1/26

  Cellulose ethers · CPC title

• C04B2103/0001

  Living organisms, e.g. microorganisms, or enzymes · CPC title