POSSIBILITY OF MICROBIAL FUEL

CELLS TO STABILIZE SOFT SOIL BY

MEANS OF ELECTRON RECOVERY
-PAGAYAO, NASRODEN BITANCOR
M152561
COHESION OF SOIL

• Define the shear strength of soil that respond to

sliding failure in anisotropy of soil condition(e.g.,
road base and slope stabilization, etc).
• Caused by inter-particle attraction and
cementing activity
• Clay particles is adhesive to organic matter
content in soil
 DLVO Theory
Force acting between two spherical particles approaching
each other
Attractive force VA
（van der Waals attraction）

Repulsive force VR
（Electrostatic repulsion）

Aa 1 A：Hamaker constant，a：particle radius，H：shortest

VA=- 12 H distance between surfaces，n0：ion concentration in
bulk，k：Planck’s constant，T：absolute temperature
exp(zej0/2kT)-1 8pnz2e2
64n0 kT g = exp(zej /2kT)+1 k = ekT
VR= g2exp(-kH)
k
0
z：valence of ion，j0：surface potential，e：permittivity
in diffusion layer
Potential Curve
（Relationship between total interaction potential and
shortest surface distance）

V VR V V
VR VR

V
Vmax V
H H V H

VA VA VA

Stabilized system Aggregating Aggregation system

critical condition
Ion distribution in solution-Formation of the Electric Double Layer
+ Ions having different charges
++ ++ - -
++ + + - - + from an electrically charged
++ + - + -
+ - - - +
particle go to the surface of the
+ -
+ - + - - +
particle. As a result, there is a
+ -- - - + - -
+ - layer in which the potential from
+ - - + the surface significantly changes.
+ - -
+
+ - - - - →Stern layer
+ - +
+ - - + - +
- + Positive and negative charges
-
Potential balance gradually at a greater
distance from the particle
surface.

Electric
double layer
Distance from particle surface
• (Grabowski, Droppo, & Wharton, 2011) mention that inter-particle attraction
can occur if a double layer reduced and high valence cations are effective in
reducing electric double layer. And they also mention that Larger double
layers, more repulsive due to decreasing H+, Fe, Al, Mn Thus, increasing
sediment stability by reducing the double layer in colloidal particles.
CATION EXCHANGE CAPACITY OF SOIL

• (Wei, Zhu, Wang, Tian, & Huang, 2014) and (Camberato, 2001) stated that
sources of Cation Exchange Capacity of soil are from clay particles and
organic matter.
• CEC in clay particles are permanent(due to isomorphous substitution) while
CEC in organic matter can be change depends on the amount of it in soil.
MFC PERFORMANCE

• Can enhance the decomposition of organic matter by 10-fold comparing to natural

biodegradation (Touch, Hibino, Nagatsu, & Tachiuchi, 2014).
• Decomposition of organic matter lead to the lowering of pH in pore solution and
decrease the electric double layer and increasing sediment stability.
• Reduces CEC of soil by reducing organic matter
• Low CEC optimize the utilization of cement stabilization due to the saturated amount
of Calcium hydroxide in pore solution (Wei, Zhu, Wang, Tian, & Huang, 2014) .
REFERENCES

• Camberato, J. J. (2001). Cation Exchange Capacity – Everything You Want to Know and Much More, 1–4.
• Grabowski, R. C., Droppo, I. G., & Wharton, G. (2011). Erodibility of cohesive sediment: The importance of
sediment properties. Earth-Science Reviews, 105(3-4), 101–120.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.01.008
• Touch, N., Hibino, T., Nagatsu, Y., & Tachiuchi, K. (2014). Characteristics of electricity generation and
biodegradation in tidal river sludge-used microbial fuel cells. Bioresource Technology, 158, 225–230.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.02.035
• Wei, D., Zhu, B., Wang, T., Tian, M., & Huang, X. (2014). Effect of Cationic Exchange Capacity of Soil on
Strength of Stabilized Soil. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141, 399–406.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.070