Behavior of drainage and chemical consolidation during electroosmosis in soil: A review

Electroosmotic <b>(EO)</b> technology plays a significant role in drainage consolidation of low-permeability and high-water-content soils such as soft clay. It involves the migration of a large number of hydrated cations in the double electric layer of soil particles from the anode to the cathode under the applied direct current electric field, which drives the movement of pore water. Although this phenomenon has proposed in 1807 by Reuss and gained widespread attention in soil reinforcement research after Casagrande successfully applied it in foundation engineering, its large-scale practical use has been limited due to insufficient understanding of the mechanisms (drainage consolidation and chemical cementation) and high energy consumption. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the principles, key influencing factors and methods for enhancing the efficiency of EO stabilization. Moreover, this work particularly emphasizes the chemical reinforcement mechanisms and multi-field combining effects during electroosmosis. It also systematically summarizes, for the first time, nonlinear evolution models of soil parameters and offers forward-looking perspectives on combining electroosmosis with emerging bio-mediated techniques, such as microbial<b>-</b>induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). A deep understanding of the mechanisms and key parameters will contribute to more effective design and broader application of EO consolidation in practical engineering.