A review on effect of soil stabilization using alkali activated geopolymer

Abstract

In order to confront the issues related to clay for construction, some adequate ground improvement technique is important. To enhance the properties of clay, alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate are used along with Class F fly ash, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and metakaolin as additives. Flyash greatly modifies the strength properties of soft soils and it contain silica and aluminium materials (pozzolans) also as a particular amount of lime, which chemically binds to soft soil and forms cement compounds. Metakaolin is a highly reactive pozzolana formed by the calcinations of kaolinite (China clay).In many civil engineering constructions, soft and weak soils are often stabilized with Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and lime. The production processes of traditional stabilizers are energy intensive and emit an outsized quantity of CO₂. Geopolymer offer a better alternative to OPC, with its high strength, low cost, low energy consumption and CO₂ emissions during synthesis. Due to the major environmental impacts involved in the manufacturing of OPC, the use of industrial by-products has been encouraged. The reason for the increase in compressive strength due to GGBS can be caused by the high GGBS calcium content. These polymers are economic and, compared to many chemical alternatives, are more effective and significantly less damaging to the environment. The combined impact of fly ash, GGBS and metakaolin will boost the soil's engineering efficiency.The alkali activation of waste materials has become an important area of research in many laboratories because it is possible to use these materials to synthesize inexpensive and ecologically sound cement like construction materials.The activator solution is also very influential in the polymerization process and it's also one of the factors that determine the compressive strength.

Keywords—Alkali activation, Geopolymer, fly ash, GGBS, clay, stabilization