Farmers can quickly grow vegetables.
PUBLISHED: 7 Oct 2024 at 04: 30
The Royal Irrigation Department ( RID ) and King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi are working together on a project to use biocement to address soil salinity in the Northeast to address agricultural issues.
According to Thidarat Bunsri, a part of the Smart Materials and Technology Research Group at KMUTT, bio-cement is developed with microbial-induced magnesium carbonate.
Microbes from fermented bass bone residue, a consequence of industrial-scale seafood sauce manufacturing, are used in the project as the crucial natural compound.
Ms Thidarat said this bio-cement stuff is saline-resistant and, owing to geopolymer systems, it can sustain water while preventing water from entering.
According to RID civil architect Peerawat Phuengpaphat, the challenges of saline soil and sandy soil have long been significant barriers to good agriculture in northeast Thailand.
The water level contains a layer of rock sodium because the area was once sea, whereas the sandy soil cannot store rainwater.
So in the rainy season, clean water will rapidly reclaim the ground, and in the dry season, groundwater may climb up and deposit salt crystals on the soil surface, making it more difficult to grow crops.
According to Mr. Peerawat, bio-cement could be used to construct irrigation ditches and other water systems, as well as address issues posed by water leak in the area.
The program’s bio-cement substance includes gangues that contain silica and alumina, a bacterial answer, and chicken shells, which serve as food for bacteria.
The materials you fix itself from micro-cracks because calcium carbonate crystals are created to fill them, and it is resistant to water erosion.
Manufacturing has been supported by the private sector, according to Ms. Thidarat, including Akara Resources Mining Company and Charoen Pokphand Foods.
She added that the materials can be used in place of normal concrete or plastic HDPE sheets for retaining water in soil, but they can also cause soil contamination and deterioration.
A pilot test is currently being conducted in a rice field at the Nakhon Ratchasima Irrigation Experiment Station No 3 ( Huay Ban Yang ).
In this analyze, bio-cement plates, each measuring 75 centimetres x 75cm and 8.5cm heavy, have been put in industry lysimeters, to observe the rate of water evaporation in plants and soil.
Additionally, it is to investigate whether the biocement can reduce salt from entering the water and sluggish water absorption.
The test may be carried out during one rice-growing period, for about four times, she said, adding the self-repair skills and water weight will be examined regularly.
” If successful, the group aims to develop a method of bio-cement that can be used with a 3D printing, possibly to make artificial islands or bio-concrete for development to keep water underground”, said Ms Thidarat.
She continued, adding that the project is a major advance in agricultural systems as well as one that may even contribute to environmental sustainability.
It is expected to expand and be applied to various places soon, she said.