Determining the Relationship Between Amount of Biomass, Nutrients, and Soil Grain Size to Strength In Bio-Cemented Simulant Martian Soil

School Name

South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Engineering

Presentation Type

Mentored

Oral Presentation Award

3rd Place

Abstract

NASA is looking into using biocementation to develop a method of creating the strongest possible cement on mars using Martian soil. Biocementation is a process of creating a biocement using naturally occurring microorganisms which, in the presence of urea and calcium carbonate, create a strong glue-like bind. The purpose of this research is to use simulant Martian soil in the biocementation process to develop the method which produces the strongest columns. This method will allow NASA to build structures directly on Mars in the 2030 Mars mission. The fairly new topic of Microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) and biocementation will hopefully be perfected enough to create an strong enough biocement. This project is a beginning to determine the combinations of soil grain size, amount of nutrients, and amount of biomass that creates the strongest columns. For this study, 27 combinations of the different variables were established with three columns made for each combination. The simulant Martian soil was separated in columns and biomass of urea and calcium carbonate (which activates the precipitation to create the glue) were pumped though repeatedly. Corresponding data helped to determined that the strongest columns were created with medium soil size, average nutrients, and large amounts of biomass. The uneven distribution of the biomass resulted in weaker columns because the area of the column with the least biomass became a weak spot to break first. These results will be used to continue the research for the strongest variables in biocementation using simulant Martian soil.

Location

Founders Hall 250 B

Start Date

3-30-2019 11:15 AM

Presentation Format

Oral Only

Group Project

Yes

COinS
 
Mar 30th, 11:15 AM

Determining the Relationship Between Amount of Biomass, Nutrients, and Soil Grain Size to Strength In Bio-Cemented Simulant Martian Soil

Founders Hall 250 B

NASA is looking into using biocementation to develop a method of creating the strongest possible cement on mars using Martian soil. Biocementation is a process of creating a biocement using naturally occurring microorganisms which, in the presence of urea and calcium carbonate, create a strong glue-like bind. The purpose of this research is to use simulant Martian soil in the biocementation process to develop the method which produces the strongest columns. This method will allow NASA to build structures directly on Mars in the 2030 Mars mission. The fairly new topic of Microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) and biocementation will hopefully be perfected enough to create an strong enough biocement. This project is a beginning to determine the combinations of soil grain size, amount of nutrients, and amount of biomass that creates the strongest columns. For this study, 27 combinations of the different variables were established with three columns made for each combination. The simulant Martian soil was separated in columns and biomass of urea and calcium carbonate (which activates the precipitation to create the glue) were pumped though repeatedly. Corresponding data helped to determined that the strongest columns were created with medium soil size, average nutrients, and large amounts of biomass. The uneven distribution of the biomass resulted in weaker columns because the area of the column with the least biomass became a weak spot to break first. These results will be used to continue the research for the strongest variables in biocementation using simulant Martian soil.