Stabilizing a cliff using biomineral binders

EPFL spin-off Medusoil has successfully tested its ground-stabilization process on cliffs subject to surface erosion. The company's biomineral-based solution can be used to stabilize sandy and gravelly subsoils to safeguard surrounding infrastructure. It is a long-lasting and easy-to-use alternative to industrial fluids - the production and use of which can be harmful to the environment. The startup is now ready to scale up production. Soil erosion, landslides, rising sea levels and other consequences of extreme weather conditions can weaken the ground which surrounds infrastructure. In order to maintain their structural integrity, the subsoil often has to be stabilized. Existing solutions, which commonly use cement, lime or industrial resins, do not necessarily provide with long-term stability and have often a hazardous effect on the soil quality with microplastics and toxic substances or by raising groundwater alkalinity above acceptable levels. Medusoil, an EPFL spin-off, is the first company in the world to develop a soil-stabilization solution that harnesses - and accelerates - a natural process: it generates mineral calcite, a powerful binder that hardens soil at the microscopic level. The solution is fast, inexpensive and consumes little energy. The company has successfully tested its technique on eroding cliffs in the Vaud Canton. It has also set up a facility to mass-produce its soil-stabilization agent as well as a mobile injection unit that can be dispatched to construction sites. Using microorganisms as the triggering agent