Abstract
When construction work is planned on soil with inadequate shear strength, its engineering properties need to be improved. Chemical stabilization is one of the solutions for soil strength improvement. Currently, the most common additive that is used for chemical soil improvement is cement. Cement is an effective solution, but it has several negative effects on the environment. Therefore, the urges for environment-friendly solutions that can replace cement and show good potential for sustainable engineering are rising. One of the promising environment-friendly solutions is the use of biopolymers. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the biopolymer xanthan gum on the strength of different types of soil. Xanthan gum was mixed with three different types of soil: sand, clay, and silty sand. The strength of treated and non-treated soil was experimentally investigated by performing unconfined compression, direct shear, and triaxial tests. From the results, it was observed that xanthan gum significantly increased the strength of each soil, which shows its major potential for the future of sustainable engineering.
Highlights
Soil improvement is a process often needed for the construction on an unfavorable soil
DeJong et al [1] introduced Bacillus pasteurii to Ottawa 50–70 sand and reported the cementation of sand which was created by the bacteria
To demonstrate the potency of biopolymers as a soil improvement additive, the present study focuses on the investigation of the effect of the biopolymer xanthan gum on the improvement of the strength of different types of soil: pure sand, silty sand, and high-plasticity clay
Summary
Soil improvement is a process often needed for the construction on an unfavorable soil. There are several ways in which soil strength can be improved. There is physical, biological, and chemical soil improvement. Physical soil improvement can include dynamic compaction, static compaction, and mixing aggregates method, to name a few. The biological approach represents using bacteria that can create calcium carbonate precipitation. That approach is known as MICP (Microbiologically Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation). Bacteria, such as Bacillus pasteurii reacts with the calcium in the soil and creates cementitious soil clogs. DeJong et al [1] introduced Bacillus pasteurii to Ottawa 50–70 sand and reported the cementation of sand which was created by the bacteria
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