ABSTRACT
The contribution focuses on the effects of a new microbiological treatment on the geotechnical properties of soils adopted for linear earth construction in the Iberian Peninsula. To this purpose, at the Universidad de Almeria, different soils are being treated with a product of microbiological base, to improve the mechanical properties of the soil, relying on the capacity of some microorganisms to precipitate substances with stabilising characteristics, in particular calcium carbonate. Different aspects related to the microbiological stabilisation are analysed, in view of the performance of the soil as unsaturated construction material. Changes in the soil microstructure are evaluated first, via the results of mercury intrusion porosimetry. The consequent influence on the retention behaviour of the soil, on its shear strength and on its volumetric stiffness is then discussed.
