Application of Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation for Slope Stabilization: A Review

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is an emerging geotechnical improvement technology that has received wide attention from researchers around the world. The applications of MICP in geotechnical field including soil improvement, surface resistance from erosion, coastal protection, and slope stabilization have been investigated by previous researchers. This paper presents a review on application of MICP for slope stabilization. Three subtopics were selected to be discussed: application of native bacteria, modified MICP methods, and field-scale studies. This review reveals that (1) MICP has the potential for slope stabilization; (2) native bacteria are ideal for use in MICP for application in slopes located in regions with variable cold climatic conditions; (3) to improve the effectiveness of MICP for slope stability, traditional MICP needs be modified; (4) MICP appears to have the potential to be one of the future landslide mitigation strategies since it works effectively in the field-scale test. Additionally, the recommended further researches in MICP for slope stabilization are: (1) Study on the other types of native bacteria for diverse environmental condition is required; (2) to discover the best slope stabilization method, the combination of MICP and other traditional slope stabilization techniques should be investigated; (3) it is critical to investigate the effectiveness of the MICP technology for slope stabilization under various conditions in the field.