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Expansive soils are prevalent world over and cause significant hazards and monetary losses due to infrastructure damages caused by their swelling and shrinking behavior. Expansive soils have been conventionally treated using chemical additives such as lime and cement, which are known to significantly improve their strength and volume-change properties. The production of lime and cement is one of the highest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, because of their energy-intensive manufacturing processes. Hence, there is a pressing need for sustainable alternative chemical binders. Geopolymers are a relatively new class of aluminosilicate polymers that can be synthesized from industrial by-products at ambient temperatures. Geopolymer-treated soils are known to have comparable strength and stiffness characteristics of lime and cement-treated soils. This study evaluates the sustainability benefits of a metakaolin-based geopolymer treatment for an expansive soil and compares its results with lime treatment. Test results have shown that geopolymers have significantly improved strength, stiffness, and volume-change properties of expansive soils. Increased dosages and curing periods have resulted in further property enhancements. Swell and shrinkage studies also indicated reductions in these strains when compared to control conditions. The sustainability benefits of both geopolymer and lime treatment methods are evaluated using a framework that incorporates resource consumption, environmental, and socio-economic concerns. This study demonstrates geopolymer treatment of expansive soils as a more sustainable alternative for expansive soil treatments, primarily due to metakaolin source material. Overall results indicated that geopolymers can be viable additives or co-additives for chemical stabilization of problematic expansive soils.

Expansive soils are conventionally treated with chemical stabilizers manufactured by energy-intensive processes that significantly contribute to carbon dioxide emissions globally. Geopolymers, which are synthesized from industrial byproducts rich in aluminosilicates, are a viable alternative to conventional treatments, as they are eco-friendly and sustainable. In this study, a metakaolin-based geopolymer was synthesized, and its effects on the strength and volume-change behavior of two native expansive soils from Texas, with a plasticity index over 20 were investigated. This paper elaborates on the geopolymerization process, synthesis of the metakaolin-based geopolymer, specimen preparation, and geopolymer treatment of soils. Comprehensive material testing revealed two clays with a plasticity index over 20. They were each treated with three dosages of the metakaolin-based geopolymer and cured in 100% relative humidity for three different curing periods. The efficiency of geopolymer treatment was determined by testing the control and geopolymer-treated soils for unconfined compressive strength (UCS), one-dimensional swell, and linear shrinkage. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) imaging was performed on the synthesized geopolymer, as well as on the control and geopolymer-treated soils, to detect microstructural changes caused by geopolymerization. A significant increase in UCS and reduction in swelling and shrinkage were observed for both geopolymer-treated soils, within a curing period of only 7 days. The FESEM imaging provided new insights on the structure of geopolymers and evidence of geopolymer formation in treated soils. In conclusion, the metakaolin-based geopolymer has strong potential as a lower-carbon-footprint alternative to conventional stabilizers for expansive soils.

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Current soil stabilization methods are often limited by durability and leaching issues and do not always offer sustainable treatments. This research explores the use of geopolymers to stabilize clays in the North Texas area. In recent years, geopolymer has received much attention as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to conventional chemical additives, since it can be processed at room temperature from aqueous solutions by utilizing waste materials and/or abounded natural sources. Two subgrade soils from North Texas were treated with GP mix at a ratio of 8 wt% dry GP to dry soil. GP is shown to reduce swelling and shrinkage potential of soil considerably while an increase in unconfined compressive strength is observed as well. Therefore, further studies are recommended to understand the mechanism of GP and soil bonding resulting in said changes.

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