Sustainable Stabilization of Expansive Soil Using Industrial By-Products and Bio-Based Additives
Author
HEMANT KUMAR AGRAWAL, SUNIL KUMAR
Abstract
Expansive soils undergo pronounced swell–shrink deformation with seasonal moisture variation, creating differential heave, loss of bearing capacity, pavement distortion, and foundation distress. Conventional lime and Portland-cement stabilization is effective, but its embodied-energy and carbon burden has accelerated interest in circular and bio-derived alternatives. This paper presents an IEEE-style critical synthesis and proposed experimental framework for stabilizing expansive soil using industrial by-products—principally fly ash, ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), steel slag, rice-husk ash, and related mineral residues—together with bio-based additives such as xanthan gum, guar gum, and lignin. Published evidence indicates that fly ash dosages in the range of 25–40% can substantially improve plasticity, strength, penetration resistance, swell behavior, and compressibility, while FA–GGBS systems provide additional latent-hydraulic and geopolymeric bonding. Biopolymers act through hydrogel formation, hydrogen bonding, pore filling, and particle bridging, offering a complementary mechanism to inorganic cementation. The manuscript develops a hybrid stabilization hypothesis in which an industrial binder supplies durable mineral bonding and a low-dose biopolymer improves early cohesion, moisture resistance, and particle connectivity. A structured testing program is proposed covering Atterberg limits, compaction, free swell/swell pressure, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), California Bearing Ratio (CBR), wet–dry durability, microstructure, and environmental screening. Equations, literature-derived performance graphs, comparative tables, and a multi-criteria sustainability index are included. The synthesis identifies curing regime, binder chemistry, biopolymer dosage, durability, and leachability as the principal variables that must be resolved before large-scale field adoption.
Keywords
expansive soil, black cotton soil, fly ash, GGBS, industrial by-products, biopolymer, xanthan gum, guar gum, lignin, soil stabilization, UCS, CBR, sustainability.
DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22093683
Full Text:
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