Recent Developments on Biomineralization for Erosion Control

Erosion pose significant threats to infrastructures and ecosystems, exacerbated by climate change driven sea-level rise and intensified wave actions. Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a promising, sustainable, and eco-friendly solution for erosion mitigation. This review synthesizes recent advancements in optimizing biomineralization efficiency, multi-scale erosion control, and field-scale MICP implementations. Key findings include: (1) Kinetic analysis of Ca2+ conversion confirmed complete ion utilization within 24 hours under optimized PA concentration (3%), resulting in a compressive strength of 2.76 MPa after five treatment cycles. (2) The erosion resistance of coastal soil was investigated through erosion function apparatus tests, model tests and field applications. Field validations in Ahoskie and Sanya demonstrated the efficacy of MICP in coastal erosion control through tailored delivery systems and environmental adaptations. (3) MICP coupled with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was shown to effectively mitigate local scour around monopile. Experimental studies revealed that MICP treatments (2-4 cycles) reduced maximum scour depth by 84-100% under unidirectional currents. MICP coupled with PVA outperforms conventional methods. (4) Numerical simulations revealed MICP enhanced seabed stability by increasing vertical effective stress and reducing pore pressure. Comparative analysis demonstrates that while the destabilization depth of untreated seabed sediments exhibits a linear correlation with wave height increments, MICP-treated seabed formations maintain exceptional stability through cohesion-enhancing properties, even when subjected to progressively intensified wave forces. This work establishes a foundational framework for advancing biomineralization technologies in erosion control, with significant implications for developing sustainable, nature-based solutions in ocean geotechnical engineering.