Evaluation of the durability and strength of stabilized sabkha soil with geopolymer

Abstract

This research study examines the effectiveness of geopolymer as a sustainable and environmentally friendly stabilizer for saline sabkha soil. The study investigates the potential of stabilizing saline sabkha soil (SP-SM) using a geopolymer as an alternative to traditional stabilizers such as Portland cement and lime, which entail high CO2 emissions and energy consumption. The study analyzes the effects of precursor content, curing temperature, and curing duration on untreated and fly ash (FA)/mine tailing (MT)-based geopolymer treated soil. The durability performance was evaluated using the wet and dry cycles method. Furthermore, field-emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS) analyses were applied for microscale identification. The results show that the FA-based geopolymer exhibited better strength and durability compared with the MT-based geopolymer. The study also found that the geopolymer treatment enhances the durability of sabkha soil. Even after 12 cycles of wetting and drying, the geopolymer-treated soil particles remained stable, as the percentages of weight loss and volume change did not exceed 13% and 3%, respectively.