Image courtesy of Bangkok Post
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) and the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) have launched an innovative project to address agricultural issues caused by soil salinity in northeastern Thailand using bio-cement.
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King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) and the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) have launched an innovative project to address agricultural issues caused by soil salinity in northeastern Thailand using bio-cement.
Thidarat Bunsri, part of the Smart Biomaterials and Technology Research Group at KMUTT, explained that bio-cement is created through microbial-induced calcium carbonate. The key organic compound in this process is derived from microbes found in fermented fish bone residue, a byproduct of large-scale fish sauce production.
Bio-cement, according to Thidarat, is resistant to salinity and utilises geopolymer technology to retain rainwater while preventing salt infiltration.
Peerawat Phuengpaphat, a civil engineer with RID, noted that saline soil and sandy earth have long posed significant challenges to agriculture in the…