The Combined Mechanism of EICP Technology Combined With Drought‐Resistant Plants for Solidifying Silty Soil Slopes

ABSTRACT

Enzyme‐induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) has attracted increasing attention as an environmentally friendly soil‐solidification technique, but its combined use with vegetation for silty‐slope protection remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated the feasibility of integrating EICP treatment with drought‐resistant vegetation to improve the stability and erosion resistance of silty soil slopes. The experimental program included EICP spraying, vegetation cultivation, surface‐characteristic observation, calcium carbonate measurement, and simulated rainfall erosion tests. The results show that EICP treatment significantly reduced soil loss and surface cracking, whereas vegetation further enhanced slope protection through root reinforcement and interception of rainfall. The optimal combined condition was obtained with a 0.5 mol/L cementing solution and seven applications of 5 mM urease solution, under which the soil loss rate was 1.64 g/min, the calcium carbonate content reached 12.5%, the surface fissure ratio was 2.22%, and the vegetation germination rate was 4%. Compared with untreated silty soil, the combined EICP‐vegetation treatment reduced the erosion rate from more than 20.9 g/min to below 1.2 g/min, increased calcium carbonate content to 17.62%, and decreased the fissure ratio from 6.87% to 0.63%. However, the cementing solution inhibited vegetation emergence, reducing the germination rate from 89% to 30%–50% or lower under stronger treatments. Overall, EICP combined with vegetation provides an effective and sustainable approach for improving the erosion resistance and surface stability of silty soil slopes.