Effect of Sporosarcina pasteurii and culture media on Microbial Carbonate Induced Precipitation and wind erosion control in sandy soil of Khuzestan

Wind erosion and its dust are serious danger in erodible soil degradation, environment, air pollution and human health. It is an important problem in Iran and especially in Khuzestan province. In the current research, the effect of Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) and sugarcane molasse as a culture media on wind erosion was investigated. The sandy soil sample was obtained from the Hamidyeh area in the Azadegan plain of Khuzestan province and the effect of time and culture media on the test was considered. The treatments were conducted with sugarcane molasse (10%) and TSB as a culture media and urea (2%) and calcium chloride as an injection solution. The experiment was carried out with the basis of completely randomized design with three replications. After 7, 15 and 30 days of injection, calcium carbonate content, penetration resistant and erodibility by wind tunnel were considered. Results showed that the highest concentrations of calcium carbonate were observed under 10% molasses treated with bacteria, which increased the percentage of calcium carbonate by 52%. The highest resistance to penetration was related to treatment 10% molasses application, which resulted in an increase of 1000 times the penetration resistance. The penetration resistance and the percentage of calcium carbonate accumulated in the soil showed a significant increase at the 5% level by LSD test, over time. The investigation of erodibility for selected samples was performed in wind tunnel with an average wind speed of 16 m/s. The amount of erosion in the sandy soil was decreased from 52% to zero, which indicates a 100% reduction in erosion. The results of this study indicate the significant role of molasses in reducing the erodibility of sandy soil and increasing the penetration strength. Thus, it can be suggested as a method to stabilize the sand.