• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.381-390
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• 2024

The introduction of bio-based materials has been recommended in the geotechnical engineering field to reduce environmental pollutants such as heavy metals and greenhouse gases. However, bio-treated soil methods face limitations in field application due to short research periods and insufficient verification of engineering performance, especially when compared to conventional materials like cement. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a machine learning model for predicting the unconfined compressive strength, a representative soil property, of biopolymer-based soil treatment (BPST). Four machine learning algorithms were compared to determine a suitable model, including linear regression (LR), support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF), and neural network (NN). Except for LR, the SVR, RF, and NN algorithms exhibited high predictive performance with an R² value of 0.98 or higher. The permutation feature importance technique was used to identify the main factors affecting the strength enhancement of BPST. The results indicated that the unconfined compressive strength of BPST is affected by mean particle size, followed by biopolymer content and water content. With a reliable prediction model, the proposed model can present guidelines prior to laboratory testing and field application, thereby saving a significant amount of time and money.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.554-560
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• 1998

Biopolymer from alkaline-tolerant Bacillus so. was purified, and its physico-chemical and structural properties were investigated. Crude biopolymer, precipitated by acetone from culture broth was fractionated into two fractions by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-200. Among two fractions, one fraction(PS I), which an acidic biopolymer precipitated by the CPC(cetylpyridinium chloride) treatment was studied further. PS I fraction had carboxyl groups and was positive at color reaction of sugar. PS I fraction also showed UV absorbance at 190-225nm. The purified acidic biopolymer was composed of 4% glucose, 8% glucosamine and 88% glutamic acid. Sugar components of the purified acidic biopolymer seemed to be linked to PGA(polyglutamic acid) which existed in the from of ${\gamma}$-peptide bond. By the results of Smith degradation of sugar components, glucose and glucosamine was bound by 1,3 glocosidic linkage. Therefore, this biopolymer was a glycopeptide, oligosaccaride ${\gamma}$-PGA. We concluded that the equivalent weight and the molecular weight of this biopolymer were estimated as about 171 and 5x105 dalton, respectively.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.453-464
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• 2019

Soft marine soil has high fine-grained soil content and in-situ water content. Thus, it has low shear strength and bearing capacity and is susceptible to a large settlement, which leads to difficulties with coastal infrastructure construction. Therefore, strength improvement and settlement control are essential considerations for construction on soft marine soil deposits. Biopolymers show their potential for improving soil stability, which can reduce the environmental drawbacks of conventional soil treatment. This study used two biopolymers, an anionic xanthan gum biopolymer and a cationic ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer, as representatives to enhance the geotechnical engineering properties of soft marine soil. Effects of the biopolymers on marine soil were analyzed through a series of experiments considering the Atterberg limits, shear strength at a constant water content, compressive strength in a dry condition, laboratory consolidation, and sedimentation. Xanthan gum treatment affects the Atterberg limits, shear strength, and compressive strength by interparticle bonding and the formation of a viscous hydrogel. However, xanthan gum delays the consolidation procedure and increases the compressibility of soils. While ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ treatment does not affect compressive strength, it shows potential for coagulating soil particles in a suspension state. ${\varepsilon}-Polylysine$ forms bridges between soil particles, showing an increase in settling velocity and final sediment density. The results of this study show various potential applications of biopolymers. Xanthan gum biopolymer was identified as a soil strengthening material, while ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer can be applied as a soil-coagulating material.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.815-830
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• 2017

Due to numerous environmental concerns in recent years, the search for and the development of sustainable technologies have been pursued. In particular, environmentally friendly methods of soil improvement, such as the potential use of biopolymers, have been researched. Previous studies on the use of biopolymers in soil improvement have shown that they can provide substantial strengthening efficiencies. However, in order to fully understand the applicability of biopolymer treated soils, various properties of these soils such as their dynamic properties must be considered. In this study, the dynamic properties of gel-type biopolymer treated soils were observed through the use of resonant column tests. Gellan gum and Xanthan gums were the target gel-type biopolymers used in this study, and the target soil for this study was jumunjin sand, the standard sand of Korea. Through this study it was demonstrated that biopolymers can be used to enhance the dynamic properties of the soil, and that they offer possibilities of reuse to reduce earthquake related soil failures.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.109-119
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• 2021

Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions has rapidly increased abnormal climate events and geotechnical engineering hazards in terms of their size and frequency accordingly. Biopolymer-based soil treatment (BPST) in geotechnical engineering has been implemented in recent years as an alternative to reducing carbon footprint. Furthermore, thermo-gelating biopolymers, including agar gum, gellan gum, and xanthan gum, are known to strengthen soils noticeably. However, an explicitly detailed evaluation of the correlation between the factors, that have a significant influence on the strengthening behavior of BPST, has not been explored yet. In this study, machine learning regression analysis was performed using the UCS (unconfined compressive strength) data for BPST tested in the laboratory to evaluate the factors influencing the strengthening behavior of gellan gum-treated soil mixtures. General linear regression, Ridge, and Lasso were used as linear regression methods; the key factors influencing the behavior of BPST were determined by RMSE (root mean squared error) and regression coefficient values. The results of the analysis showed that the concentration of biopolymer and the content of clay have the most significant influence on the strength of BPST.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.208-217
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• 2020

A biopolymer based on microorganism-derived β-glucan and xanthan gum is being studied as a new eco-friendly material that stabilizes the riverbank slope, and also promotes vegetation growth. However, it is still inconclusive whether biopolymers have a positive effect on plant performance in the riverbanks which are subjected to various climatic factors and plant competitions. For a practical ecological evaluation of the biopolymers, their effect on plant growth promotion was studied in a natural environment. Considering the relationship between competition and plant community formation, the effects of biopolymers on competition were also investigated. For four plant species (Echinochloa crus-galli, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Leonurus japonicus, and Coreopsis lanceolata), the biopolymer effects under intra/interspecific competition were tested at the riverbank (20 m × 10 m) near Samjigyo Bridge in Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do. A biopolymer powder was mixed with water and commercial soil following the manufacturer's recommendations. The soil mixed with the biopolymer was filled in a pot or applied to the surface of the commercial soil with a thickness of 3 cm. Across the competition treatments, the biopolymer treatment promoted root growth of the target plant species and decreased the specific leaf area. The total biomass and shoot dry weight of P. alopecuroides increased in response to the biopolymer treatment. The competition treatment decreased the total biomass and shoot dry weight compared to the case without competition. Notably, such a competitive effect was similar in all the biopolymer treatments. Thus, biopolymers, when mixed with soil, promote the growth of some plant species, but do not appear to affect the competitive ability of plants.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.163-170
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• 2019

The civil engineering materials used to stabilize the slopes of new riverbanks have a great impact on the types and growth of vegetation introduced after the completion of construction procedure. Recently, microbial-derived, ${\beta}$-glucan- and xanthan gum-based biopolymers are attracting attention as an ecofriendly strengthening material of riverbanks that can possibly stimulate plant growth. This study aimed to assess ecological effects of biopolymer application on native plants in Korean riverbanks. In particular, since dominant plant species could shape characteristics of an ecosystem, we examined the effects of biopolymer on the dominant plant species in riverbanks. Overall, biopolymer did not affect seed germination rates of testing plant species. In contrast, plants grew more vigorously in the soil mixed with biopolymer compared to those in the control soil. The biomass of Echinochloa crus-galli especially increased around two times more in the biopolymer treatment. Plants produced heavier root biomass and leaves with larger specific leaf area, which possibly contributes to the tolerance of environmental stress like drought. These results suggest that biopolymers treated on river banks are expected to stimulate plant growth and increase stress tolerance of domestic dominant plant species.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.479-486
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• 2005

Arabinoxylan, a complex polysaccharide in cereal cell walls, has recently received research attention as a biological response modifier. The immunomodulating effect of arabinoxylans from rice bran (AXrb) was studied using a combined process of extrusion and commercial hemicellulase treatment in order to elucidate the augmentation mechanism of cell-mediated immunity in vitro. The cytotoxicity of mouse spleen lymphocytes against YAC-1 tumor cells was significantly enhanced by treatment with AXrb at $10-100\;{\mu}g/mL$. In an attempt to investigate the mechanism by which AXrb enhance NK cytotoxicity, we examined the effect of AXrb on cytokine production by spleen lymphocytes. Culture supernatants of the cells incubated with AXrb were collected and analyzed for IL-2 and IFN-${\gamma}$ synthesis by ELISA. IL-2 and IFN-${\gamma}$ production were increased significantly. These results suggest that AXrb may induce Th1 immune responses. Macrophages play an important role in host defenses against tumors by killing them and producing secretory products, which protect against bacterial, viral infection and malignant cell growth. AXrb were examined for their ability to induce secretory and cellular responses in murine peritoneal macrophages. When macrophages were treated with various concentrations ($10-100\;{\mu}g/mL$) of AXrb, AXrb induced tumoricidal activity, as well as increasing phagocytosis and the production of NO, $H_2O_2$, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6. These results indicate that reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, and inflammatory cytokines are likely to be the major mediators of tumoricidal activity in AXrb-treated macrophages. Therefore, AXrb may be useful in cancer immunotherapy and it is anticipated that AXrb obtained using extrusion and subsequent enzyme treatment can be used as an ingredient in nutraceuticals and cereal-based functional food.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.203-204
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• 2008

Bacterial Cellulose Actuator with biocompatible and biodegradable properties was newly developed as an electro-active biopolymer under water. The performance of the BC actuator was improved through Li treatment. The mechanical and chemical properties of BC membranes were measured such as the tensile test, proton conductivity. The surface morphology of the bacterial cellulose was observed by using SEM. The electromechanical bending responses under both direct current and alternating current excitations were investigated. In voltage-current test,the power consumption under dynamic excitation increases with increasing voltage. Present results show that the bacterial cellulose actuator can be a promising smart material and may possibly have diverse applications under water.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.634-639
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• 2021

This study investigated the effects of cold plasma (CP) treatment on the properties of biopolymer films prepared with defatted mustard meal (DMM films). CP treatments using N₂, O₂, He, Ar, and dry air did not affect the tensile properties, water vapor permeability, color, and morphology of DMM films, whereas the treatments using He and Ar improved their printability. The tensile strength (TS) of O₂- or air-CP-treated DMM films and the elastic modulus (EM) of O₂-, He-, Ar-, or air-CP-treated films were lower than those of the untreated films. An increase in the power of Ar-CP treatment resulted in an increase in EM. The optimum treatment power and time for minimizing yellowness changes by Ar-CP treatment were 420 W and 40 min, respectively. The results demonstrated the potential application of CP treatment to improve the film properties of DMM films and possibly other agricultural by-product-based biopolymer films, making the films more applicable to food packaging.