Durability of biocemented sand crusts under environmental stresses for wind erosion mitigation

[Display omitted] •Microbial precipitation enhanced biocemented crusts' strength to environmental stress.•The presence of saltation particles increased treated soil erodibility by 67 times.•Environmental stresses increased the erodibility of biocemented sand crusts 32-fold. This study investigates the durability of biocemented sand crust under environmental stresses for wind erosion control. The crusts were created through microbial precipitation of calcium carbonate via the bio-oxidation of calcium acetate using Bacillus megaterium bacteria. Various environmental stressors including heating and cooling cycles, wetting and drying cycles, freezing and thawing cycles, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation, were applied to examine the stability of the crusts. To evaluate erodibility, wind tunnel tests were conducted at different wind speeds as well as under a sandblasting condition. Additionally, crust strength was assessed through penetrometer tests. The microstructure of the crusts was analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Results showed a remarkable reduction in the erosion rate of the treated sand, from 490 to 0.01 kg.m−2.h−1, even at the highest tested wind speed (i.e., 28 m/s). However, after subjecting the crusts to five cycles each of heating and cooling, wetting and drying, freezing and thawing, and five equivalent years of ultraviolet radiation, the erodibility of the crust increased by factors of 2.4, 7.5, 24, and 32, respectively, compared to the treated samples without any environmental stress. Moreover, in the presence of saltating particles at a wind speed of 14 m/s, the erodibility of the crusts increased by 79 %, 458 %, 719 %, and 759 % respectively. The study emphasizes considering various environmental stresses for assessing crust durability, aiding the development of effective wind erosion control strategies in arid and semi-arid regions.