Engineering with Nature Research Program - Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) | W81EWF 22 SOI 0037

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0037

The Engineering with Nature Research Program grant opportunity focused on Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) research effort aimed at reducing the downstream risks that follow major wildfires, especially in the arid and semi-arid western United States. The opportunity is framed around a growing national problem: large wildfires strip vegetation, change soil structure, and can create water-repellent soil conditions that sharply reduce infiltration and drive faster runoff. Those shifts increase erosion, destabilize channels, and accelerate sediment delivery into streams and reservoirs, which can reduce reservoir storage and compromise the performance of flood control and navigation infrastructure. The grant also ties wildfire impacts to compounding hazards like post-fire flash flooding and debris flows, referencing real-world examples such as the Montecito disaster following the Thomas Fire. In short, the government is looking for practical, scalable approaches that protect communities and critical infrastructure from the cascading effects of wildfire-altered watersheds.

The technical goal of the project is to evaluate whether MICP can serve as a sustainable, nature-based, and cost-effective soil treatment to improve the mechanical behavior of soils damaged or altered by wildfire, with a particular emphasis on lowering erosion potential. MICP is presented as a biologically driven ground improvement method that uses naturally occurring bacteria to precipitate calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This precipitated mineral can act like a cementing agent, binding soil grains together and increasing strength. Compared with conventional chemical stabilizers, the opportunity highlights MICP as lower energy, environmentally friendly, and not introducing traditional contaminants into soils. While MICP has been used more commonly in geotechnical applications for sandy soils, the program is specifically interested in how it performs on wildfire-affected soils, and whether it can also help counter drought-related drying by improving soil moisture retention in a way that reduces erosion and slows runoff.

The anticipated work combines laboratory testing with a real-world field demonstration. The government lab, the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), plans to perform an initial literature review on both MICP and wildfire effects on soils to identify the most promising soil types and conditions for treatment, and to ground the project in lessons learned from districts that regularly deal with wildfire impacts. After that ERDC-led scoping, the award recipient (working closely with ERDC and a principal investigator) is expected to carry out a sequence of practical research activities. These begin with identifying suitable wildfire-affected sampling sites, likely in regions served by USACE districts such as Sacramento and Albuquerque, where wildfire recovery and forest restoration work is common and where supporting datasets and agency experience (for example from NRCS, USGS, and USACE) can help select meaningful locations.

Once sites are selected, the project involves collecting and transporting soil samples from burned areas for testing in ERDC and university laboratories, with an expected collection volume on the order of nine 5-gallon buckets. The laboratory program then moves into standard geotechnical characterization and strength testing, including index testing such as sieve analysis, specific gravity, and organic content, along with shear strength evaluation using triaxial and direct shear tests. In parallel, the work calls for microscopic mineral identification to better understand soil composition and how wildfire may have altered mineralogy or bonding behavior. Importantly, the opportunity stresses that these tests should follow typical ASTM procedures and use standard laboratory equipment, which signals a preference for results that are comparable, repeatable, and defensible in an engineering context.

A core portion of the research is optimizing the MICP treatment itself. That optimization includes determining the treatment duration and application frequency, selecting bacterial concentrations, and choosing nutrient formulations that support bacterial growth and effective carbonate precipitation. This part of the work explicitly calls for bio-engineering expertise, reflecting that MICP performance depends heavily on biological and chemical conditions, not just soil mechanics. After optimization, the treated soils are to be tested again to quantify changes in shear strength, infiltration behavior, and erodibility. The opportunity calls for triplicate testing to support repeatability, and it anticipates that findings will be written up as a data report and/or a technical paper, indicating an expectation of publishable-quality documentation rather than purely internal notes.

The final major element is a field demonstration at one of the sampled wildfire sites deemed most suitable for showing how the treatment could be applied outside the laboratory. The field work is expected to compare wildfire-exposed sections with unexposed control sections and to use field testing methods such as infiltration measurements, erodibility testing, and plate load tests. The program anticipates coordination between ERDC and university team members on the test plan, treatment application protocol, and timing, with field deployment requiring travel, application tools, growth media, and the selected bacterial strain. As with the lab work, the field effort is expected to produce documented results and analysis in a formal report and/or technical publication.

From a public benefit perspective, the opportunity sits within the broader Engineering with Nature (EWN) philosophy, which emphasizes aligning natural processes with engineering outcomes to deliver economic, environmental, and social value in a sustainable way. If MICP proves effective for post-fire soils, the payoff could be significant: reduced erosion in burned watersheds, slower runoff response during storms, less sediment loading into channels and reservoirs, and ultimately a lower likelihood of destructive debris flows and flash floods that threaten downstream communities and USACE flood protection projects. The description also notes that the work connects to prior EWN efforts at Santa Clara Pueblo in northern New Mexico, and it signals that projects on Native American lands should be designed and implemented in ways that respect and align with community culture and priorities.

Administratively, this was posted as a discretionary funding opportunity by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial agency involvement during performance (consistent with ERDC guidance throughout the activities described). The opportunity number is W81EWF 22 SOI 0037, under CFDA 12.630, with an award ceiling of $150,000 and an expectation of one award. The posting lists an original closing date of October 17, 2022, and eligibility is described broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full notice.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engineering with Nature Research Program - Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 18, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 17, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0037

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