Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Stabilization of Indian peat using alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Peat is an exceptionally problematic soil for construction purposes and is often stabilized by traditional stabilizers (like cement), which emits 0.95-ton carbon dioxide (CO2) per ton of cement during their production. Alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) with its low carbon dioxide (approximately 0.07-ton CO2) emissions and higher strength gain provides a promising substitute to traditional stabilizers. Therefore, this study presents the viability of alkali-activated GGBS-stabilized Indian peat. The three types of peats (sapric, fibric, and hemic) were collected to cover a wide range of variations of fibre (6–73%) and organic content (21–79%). The sodium hydroxide (NaOH) molarities (M) of 6, 9, 12, and 15 were used to activate specimens, with GGBS percentages of 10, 20, and 30% by weight of dry peat and alkali/binder ratios of 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9. The test results show that the UCS of peat-GGBS depends on the molarity of NaOH, A/B, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, curing period, and organic content of the peat-GGBS matrix. The optimum combination for the peat-GGBS blend is 20% GGBS, NaOH molarity of 9, and A/B ratio of 0.7. Furthermore, it was found that UCS increases with the curing period and decreases with organic content (OC). The formation of aluminium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate, and potassium aluminosilicate responsible for strength gain is confirmed by XRD. The FESEM micrographs reveal that these products result in the filling of pore spaces to form a smooth and dense soil-binder matrix.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdel-Salam AE (2018) Stabilization of peat soil using locally admixture. HBRC J 14:294–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Åhnberg H (2006) Strength of stabilised soil-A laboratory study on clays and organic soils stabilised with different types of binder. Lund University, pp 1–197

  • Åhnberg H, Bengtsson P-E, Holm G (2001) Effect of initial loading on the strength of stabilised peat. Proc Inst Civ Eng Improv 5:35–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Åhnberg H, Johansson S-E, Pihl H, Carlsson T (2003) Stabilising effects of different binders in some Swedish soils. Proc Inst Civ Eng Improv 7:9–23

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM Standard D1997 (2013) Standard test method for laboratory determination of the fibre content of peat samples by dry mass. ASTM international Online at: https://www.astm.org. Accessed 13 Apr 2018 

  • ASTM Standard D2974 (2014) Standard test methods for moisture, ash, and organic matter of peat and other organic soils. ASTM international Online at: https://www.astm.org. Accessed 11 Feb 2018

  • ASTM Standard D2976 (2015) Standard test method for pH of peat materials. ASTM international Online at: https://www.astm.org. Accessed 13 Mar 2018

  • ASTM Standard D698 (2012) Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using standard effort.ASTM international Online at: https://www.astm.org. Accessed 11 Mar 2018

  • Axelsson K, Johansson SE, Andersson R (2002) Stabilization of organic soils by cement and pozzolanic reactions–feasibility study. Swedish Deep Stabilization Research Centre, National Deep Mixing Program 3:1–51

  • Badv K, Sayadian T (2012) An investigation into the geotechnical characteristics of Urmia peat. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Civ Eng 36:167

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson LK, Demirel T, Handy RL (1965) Soil pulveration and lime migration in soil-lime stabilization. Highw Res Rec 92:103-126

  • Dhar S, Hussain M (2019) The strength behaviour of lime-stabilised plastic fibre-reinforced clayey soil. Road Mater Pavement Des 20:1757–1778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du Y-J, Wu J, Bo Y-L, Jiang N-J (2020) Effects of acid rain on physical, mechanical and chemical properties of GGBS–MgO-solidified/stabilized Pb-contaminated clayey soil. Acta Geotech 15:923–932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duraisamy Y, Huat BBK, Aziz AA (2007) Engineering properties and compressibility behavior of tropical peat soil. Am J Appl Sci 4:768–773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edil TB (2003) Recent advances in geotechnical characterization and construction over peats and organic soils. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference in Soft Soil Engineering and Technology, Putrajaya, Malaysia

  • Fassbender AJ, Orr JC, Dickson AG (2021) Interpreting pH changes. Biogeosciences 18:1407–1415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girardello F, Guégan R, Esteves VI et al (2013) Characterization of Brazilian peat samples by applying a multimethod approach. Spectrosc Lett 46:201–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gokul V, Steffi DA, Kaviya R et al (2020) Alkali activation of clayey soil using GGBS and NaOH. Mater Today Proc 43:1707–1713

  • Hassan N, Hassan WHW, Rashid ASA et al (2019) Microstructural characteristics of organic soils treated with biomass silica stabilizer. Environ Earth Sci 78:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hassan WHW, Rashid ASA, Latifi N et al (2017) Strength and morphological characteristics of organic soil stabilized with magnesium chloride. Q J Eng Geol Hydrogeol 50:454–459

  • Huang PT, Patel M, Santagata MC, Bobet A (2009) Classification of organic soils, Final Report. West Lafayette Jt Transp Res Progr 6:14–45

  • IS 2720 Part 10 (1991) Method of test for soils: determination of unconfined compressive strength of soils. BIS, New Delhi

  • IS 2720 Part 2 (1973) Method of test for soils: determination of water content of soils. BIS, New Delhi

  • IS 2720 Part 29 (1975) Method of test for soils: determination of dry density of soils in-place by the core-cutter method. BIS, New Delhi

  • IS 2720 Part 3 (1980) Method of test for soils: determination of specific gravity of fine grained soils. BIS, New Delhi

  • IS 2720 Part 5 (1985) Method of test for soils: determination of Atterberg limits. BIS, New Delhi

  • Jiang N-J, Du Y-J, Liu K (2018) Durability of lightweight alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) stabilized clayey soils subjected to sulfate attack. Appl Clay Sci 161:70–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalantari B, Huat BBK (2009) Precast stabilized peat columns to reinforce peat soil deposits. Electron J Geotech Eng 14:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Keppert M, Vejmelková E, Bezdička P et al (2018) Red-clay ceramic powders as geopolymer precursors: consideration of amorphous portion and CaO content. Appl Clay Sci 161:82–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolay PK, Aminur MR, Taib SNL, Zain MISM (2011) Stabilization of tropical peat soil from Sarawak with different stabilizing agents. Geotech Geol Eng 29:1135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korde C, Cruickshank M, West RP (2021) Activation of slag: a comparative study of cement, lime, calcium sulfate, GGBS fineness and temperature. Mag Concr Res 73:15–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latifi N, Rashid ASA, Marto A, Tahir MM (2016) Effect of magnesium chloride solution on the physico-chemical characteristics of tropical peat. Environ Earth Sci 75:220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma Y, Liu Z, Xu Y et al (2018) Remediating potentially toxic metal and organic co-contamination of soil by combining in situ solidification/stabilization and chemical oxidation: efficacy, mechanism, and evaluation. Int J Environ Res Public Health 15:2595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malkawi AIH, Alawneh AS, Abu-Safaqah OT (1999) Effects of organic matter on the physical and the physicochemical properties of an illitic soil. Appl Clay Sci 14:257–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehta A, Siddique R, Ozbakkaloglu T et al (2020) Fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag-based alkali-activated concrete: mechanical, transport and microstructural properties. Constr Build Mater 257:119548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moayedi H, Nazir R (2018) Malaysian experiences of peat stabilization, state of the art. Geotech Geol Eng 36:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moayedi H, Kassim KA, Kazemian S et al (2014) Improvement of peat using Portland cement and electrokinetic injection technique. Arab J Sci Eng 39:6851–6862

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Kelly BC (2015) Atterberg limits are not appropriate for peat soils. Geotech Res 2:123–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oktiani BW, Purwaningayu JH, Adhani R et al (2020) Microbial identification of water peatland in Banjar District, Gambut, South Borneo. Eur J Mol Clin Med 7:3867–3875

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouffa N, Benzaazoua M, Belem T et al (2020) Alkaline dissolution potential of aluminosilicate minerals for the geosynthesis of mine paste backfill. Mater Today Commun 24:101221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paul A, Hussain M (2019a) Geotechnical properties and microstructural characteristics of Northeast Indian peats. Mires Peat 24:1–15

  • Paul A, Hussain M (2019b) An experiential investigation on the compressibility behavior of cement-treated Indian peat. Bull Eng Geol Environ 1–15

  • Paul A, Hussain M (2020) Cement stabilization of Indian peat: an experimental investigation. J Mater Civ Eng 32:4020350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paul A, Hussain M, Ramu B (2018) The physicochemical properties and microstructural characteristics of peat and their correlations: reappraisal. International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, pp 1–12

  • Pourakbar S, Huat BBK, Asadi A, Fasihnikoutalab MH (2016) Model study of alkali-activated waste binder for soil stabilization. Int J Geosynth Gr Eng 2:35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahgozar MA, Saberian M (2015) Physical and chemical properties of two Iranian peat types. Mires Peat 16:1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Rahman ZA, Lee JYY, Rahim SA et al (2015) Application of gypsum and fly ash as additives in stabilization of tropical peat soil. J Appl Sci 15:1006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera JF, Orobio A, de Gutiérrez RM, Cristelo N (2020) Clayey soil stabilization using alkali-activated cementitious materials. Mater Constr 70:211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sargent P, Hughes PN, Rouainia M (2016) A new low carbon cementitious binder for stabilising weak ground conditions through deep soil mixing. Soils Found 56:1021–1034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sekhar DC, Nayak S (2019) SEM and XRD investigations on lithomargic clay stabilized using granulated blast furnace slag and cement. Int J Geotech Eng 13:615–629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singhi B, Laskar AI, Ahmed MA (2017) Mechanical behavior and sulfate resistance of alkali activated stabilized clayey soil. Geotech Geol Eng 35:1907–1920

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sukmak P, Sukmak G, Horpibulsuk S et al (2019) Palm oil fuel ash-soft soil geopolymer for subgrade applications: strength and microstructural evaluation. Road Mater Pavement Des 20:110–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas A, Tripathi RK, Yadu LK (2018) A laboratory investigation of soil stabilization using enzyme and alkali-activated ground granulated blast-furnace slag. Arab J Sci Eng 43:5193–5202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent NA, Shivashankar R, Lokesh KN, Jacob JM (2017) Laboratory electrical resistivity studies on cement stabilized soil. Int Sch Res Not 2017:1–15

  • von Post L (1922) Sveriges Geologiska Undersöknings torvinventering och några av dess hittills vunna resultat 1922:1–27

  • Wang D, Wang Q, Zhuang S, Yang J (2018) Evaluation of alkali-activated blast furnace ferronickel slag as a cementitious material: reaction mechanism, engineering properties and leaching behaviors. Constr Build Mater 188:860–873

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu H-L, Jin F, Ni J, Du Y-J (2019) Engineering properties of vertical cutoff walls consisting of reactive magnesia-activated slag and bentonite: workability, strength, and hydraulic conductivity. J Mater Civ Eng 31:4019263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yi Y, Li C, Liu S (2014) Alkali-activated ground-granulated blast furnace slag for stabilization of marine soft clay. J Mater Civ Eng 27:4014146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yi Y, Li C, Liu S (2015) Alkali-activated ground-granulated blast furnace slag for stabilization of marine soft clay. J Mater Civ Eng 27:4014146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang G, Yang H, Ju C, Yang Y (2020) Novel selection of environment-friendly cementitious materials for winter construction: alkali-activated slag/Portland cement. J Clean Prod 258:120592

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Silchar, Assam, India

    Suhail Ahmad Khanday, Monowar Hussain & Amit Kumar Das

Authors
  1. Suhail Ahmad Khanday
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Monowar Hussain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Amit Kumar Das
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Monowar Hussain.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Khanday, S.A., Hussain, M. & Das, A.K. Stabilization of Indian peat using alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 5539–5551 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02248-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02248-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation