Dirt into cement?

Maybe?

Very interesting...

Thanks. I did quite a bit of reading about using the concept in the Sahara desert, which also happens to hold one of the planet's largest fresh water aquifers sitting right under it.

These great ideas keep popping up......................and then they just go away. I wonder what happens to them?

Here's another cool one.

What can I say... change my water into wine.

These ideas are not going away though. The literature is full of fascinating stuff and it keeps on coming...

It may be that the patent issue is keeping some stuff from being applied.

However. It has been pointed out that while we hoo-haa about colonizing Mars or the Moon, we have so far failed to colonize our own deserts here on earth. I think it's time to stop the desertification, and make way for some forest...

Wow, nice finds....Yes I think it is time to start planning the reclaimation of the Sahara desert on a really large scale...and the concrete additive of microbes is ingenious, we certainly need further development of this and other similar technologies...Bacteria are here to assist us in almost every endeavor it seems...

Now that would make one 'hell of a skating rink' and then one could thinl if adding a product by Portland and water..sprinkle a little on and wet it down..

That's him. Even if the OP was looking for something else he would be well served to have a closer look at what this guy is doing.

If I ever have money to invest in a big way he would be my favorite proposition. I am surprised we are not hearing more about him. I see other applications as well but that would be a new thread.

Thanks for the reminder Mark

Good luck to him, Ky.

A way to keep them from tearing down all those dams? (from another thread)

http://www.ted.com/talks/magnus_larsson_turning_dunes_into_architecture.html

That was 2009. Not hearing much goosemydog.

Has that helped?

Yeah!!! I remember that one.

My reasons for looking into it were a little less altruistic and more artistic.

Recreating, or creating desert scenes from scratch that people could have in their yards, or on an even smaller scale on a living room mantle. I think it would be cool.

Thanks, good video. I recently read a newspaper article (yes, there's still one in my little town) where the local tribes and gov. entities were concerned there had not been a survey made of all the local earthen dams. Probably because we are waiting for the 'big one' that is long over-due. Anyway, that's what made me thing of that discovery. If it was published in '07 and has not made the list of available technologies something must have happened to kill it or put it on a shelf. I don't know how patent issues could become involved since it's a natural process to begin with but maybe a specific methodology may be patentable.

I watched a film about this about 5-6 years ago, it was in the US and they were strengthening an earthen embankment along the side of a river that was prone to flooding, they hand a machine that was like a giant mortasizer that ran along the top of the wall, It would cut a slot straight down to about 10meters so you had a slot that was approx 1meter x .600m x 10meters deep then they would mix the spoils that came out with cement & with the machine running pour the mix back in the slot whilst raising the cutter head which had the effect of remixing and pushing the mix into the sides, the machine was moved along about 5-6 meters then the process started again, once it got to a determined point they would move back to start in-between the slots already done.

Bazzer

Look up strengthening levees im Omaha.

Bazzer.

Somehow I remember seeing that exact technology discussed here in the forum in the past 2 years...

Try doing search of it just for kicks and it may show up.

Soil geology is a very complex subject. Certain high clay soils mixed with straw make adobe, which is hard, at least when kept dry. The straw may add microbes. Rammed earth is another technology which does not always use cement. Even sod was used to build homes on our prairies when trees were not available. Microbes played a role in all of these techniques, but I don't know that anyone has studied the microorganism effect.In Florida they build steel frames in the bays, and just stack earth and let it compress itself over time, and then with machinery. Will try to get more info. What kind of soil are you working with?

Bacillus pasterurii can be used to turn soil into calcium carbonate in soils. Sandstone. Article in Discovery Magazine 2/27/07. Found on Discovery.com through Google search. They were using wet sand however. Organic soil would not work. What are you trying to accomplish?

Thanks for the date of the article. I re-read it and saw the mention of the sand. However, it said the sterilized sand was only being used to study the variables. That suggests to me it is still viable with dirt but they need to figure out how to feed it. I'm no engineer,l though.