Biography
Maria graduated with a BSc Hons in Earth Science from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2006. Since then she has gained experience in minerals and raw materials resources, marine explorative research, international multidisciplinary collaborative project work and science communication. Maria is now learning geotechnical engineering and conducting research into extending Microbiologically Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) as a ground improvement technology for carbonate-bearing soils.
This research will technically characterise a carbonate sand commonly found and used as an aggregate in Ireland. The principal test site is in Blessington, material from the site will be analysed for its biocementation potential. A developing green technique, biocementation is gaining importance in geotechnical engineering as a ground improvement technology. If proved feasible, biocementation will reduce the carbon dioxide footprint created by traditional cementing processes.
Technical description
This research is part of a US-Ireland research project called C2C. The project investigates Microbially Induced Carbon Precipitation (MICP) process to treat sand materials and improve their properties for civil engineering purposes. The C2C project will investigate application of the MICP technique to carbonate-bearing sands, providing fundamental insights on associated controlling processes and factors, as a prelude to potential industrial implementation. It involves an international team of leading scientists and engineers from 3 research centres: the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG), Arizona State University USA; the Energy Efficient Materials Research Centre (EEM) at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland; and the Irish Center for Research in Applied Geoscience (iCRAG), Ireland.
Role
- Postgraduate Researcher
Institution
- UCD
Research Area
- Earth Science in Society
Expertise
- Bio-based Solutions
