Abstract
This study emphasizes on stabilization of illite and kaolin-based clay at ambient temperature using flyash-based geopolymer, including eggshell powder. Both flyash and eggshell powder are waste materials, and applying these wastes as green building materials can resolve many troubles associated with disposal. Moreover, the calcium-rich eggshell powder can enhance the strength characteristics of clayey or soft soil. Keeping the above in view, a comprehensive experimental program was conducted, including compaction, compressive strength, tensile strength, California bearing ratio, and microstructure analysis. The results indicated that introducing partial to full replacement of flyash-eggshell powder geopolymer enhanced the strength characteristics of clayey soil comparable to those of clayey soil without any treatment. Although the novel geopolymeric precursor material, eggshell powder, contains CaO in the crystalline phase, the microstructure analysis confirms that short-term strength development is primarily associated with the part of the various calcium-based geopolymer gel produced in small amounts from the activation of eggshell powder within the flyash-based geopolymer. The main results demonstrate that 30% geopolymer concentration in clay significantly increased compressive strength, tensile strength, and California bearing ratio. Finally, the geopolymer-treated clay mixtures found in the investigation have possible applications in pavements and embankments as sustainable building materials prepared from industrial and domestic wastes.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Material Research Centre (MNIT Jaipur) for conducting XRD and FE-SEM.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Dr. Poonam Shekhawat, Prof. Gunwant Sharma, and Prof. Rao Martand Singh. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Dr. Poonam Shekhawat and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler
Highlights
• Stabilization of illite and kaolin-based clay using waste materials flyash and eggshell powder-based geopolymer.
• Calcium-rich eggshell powder enhanced the strength characteristics of soft soil.
• Short-term strength developed due to presence of eggshell powder in geopolymer.
• Possible applications in embankments, sub-base, and subgrade as a sustainable building material.
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Shekhawat, P., Sharma, G. & Singh, R.M. Strength characteristics of hazardous wastes flyash and eggshell powder-based geopolymer-stabilized soft soil cured at ambient temperature. Arab J Geosci 16, 127 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11234-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11234-2