For a long time in the practice of geotechnical engineering, soil has been viewed as an inert material, comprising only inorganic phases. However, microorganisms including bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes are ubiquitous in soil and have the capacity and capability to alter bio-geochemical processes in the local soil environment. The cumulative changes could consequently modify the physical, mechanical, conductive and chemical properties of the bulk soil matrix. In recent years, the topic of bio-mediated geotechnics has gained momentum in the scientific literature. It involves the manipulation of various bio-geochemical soil processes to improve soil engineering performance. In particular, the process of microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has received the most attention for its superior performance for soil improvement. The present work aims to shape a comprehensive understanding of recent developments in bio-mediated geotechnics, with a focus on MICP. Referring to around one hundred studies published over the past five years, this review focuses on popular and alternative MICP processes, innovative raw materials and additives for MICP, emerging tools and testing methodologies for characterizing MICP at multi-scale, and applications in emerging and/or unconventional geotechnical fields.

中文翻译：

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生物介导的土壤改良：对工艺、材料、表征和应用的反思

长期以来，在岩土工程实践中，土壤一直被视为一种惰性材料，仅包含无机相。然而，包括细菌、古细菌和真核生物在内的微生物在土壤中无处不在，并且具有改变当地土壤环境中生物地球化学过程的能力和能力。因此，累积的变化可能会改变大块土壤基质的物理、机械、导电和化学特性。近年来，生物介导岩土工程的主题在科学文献中获得了发展势头。它涉及操纵各种生物地球化学土壤过程以提高土壤工程性能。特别是微生物诱导的碳酸钙沉淀（MICP）过程因其在土壤改良方面的优越性能而备受关注。目前的工作旨在全面了解生物介导岩土工程的最新发展，重点是 MICP。参考过去五年发表的约 100 项研究，本综述重点关注流行和替代 MICP 工艺、MICP 的创新原材料和添加剂、用于多尺度表征 MICP 的新兴工具和测试方法，以及在新兴和/或非常规岩土领域。