Briefing: Biological routes to improvement of geomaterials

In the search for innovative geotechnical materials for sustainable construction the most exciting possibilities will come from interdisciplinary collaborations. The links between civil engineering and life sciences provide examples of future possibilities at three scales. At the microscopic scale, bacteria in the ground can be encouraged to deposit calcite, which will bond particles of cohesionless soil thus increasing resistance to erosion and liquefaction. At the mesoscopic scale, various species of worm and shrimp provide examples of nature's geotechnical abilities in stabilising burrows. At the macroscopic scale, models of the various components of interaction of soils with plant roots are at a sufficiently advanced state to be applied with some confidence to the simulation of the performance of vegetated slopes and be used for condition monitoring and future asset management.