ABSTRACT

A suitable and reliable method for underground permeability control has been sought after. Current methods mainly incorperate the injection or mixing of cement into groung. These methods however have several faults that need to be addressed. First off, the leakage of high pH alkaline into the groundwater may effect the local ecosystem. Also, the use of cement takes time to set in and for the permeability to decrease, but with longer times the cement in the soils may flush out of the desired area. This paper suggests an alternative solution to underground permeability control for construction with the use of biopolymers. Biopolymers are polymers derived from biological origins, and such biopolymers have shown bioclogging effects that are capable of greatly reducing the permeability of the soils.