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This paper presents findings from an experimental study in which a novel, non-energy intensive, environmentally-friendly stabilizer known as geopolymer was used for stabilization of a highly plastic clay. Two forms of the stabilizer were synthesized, one using metakaolin (MK) and the other using fly ash (FA) as the alumino-silicate precursor. The paper describes the process of geopolymer synthesis as well as quality control tests conducted during geopolymer synthesis. Synthesized geopolymers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The paper also presents results obtained from a comprehensive laboratory test program that examined the effectiveness of the stabilizer in improving strength and controlling moisture induced swelling of a highly plastic clay soil. The geopolymer content of the soil ranged from 3% to 15% by weight ratio. SEM-EDX and XRD were performed to investigate the treated specimen for uniformity and stabilization mechanism. The data obtained from unconfined compressive strength tests conducted after seven days of curing showed three- to four-fold improvement in strength for geopolymer stabilized soils with MK geopolymer consistently providing better performance than FA geopolymer. The results from one-dimensional swell tests indicated significant reduction of swell behavior in FA geopolymer treated specimens while no improvement in swell behavior was observed in MK treated soil. This study demonstrates that, while geopolymers can overcome many limitations that exist in traditional stabilizers, the strength and swell performance of geopolymer stabilized clay soil can vary significantly depending on the source of alumino-silicate used in the production of the geopolymer.

In the southern U.S. states, expansive soils are frequently encountered, presenting an important hazard in geotechnical engineering. This research relies on mineralogical and geochemical clues to explain the swelling behavior of smectite-rich, high-plasticity soils, documented in a series of geomechanical swelling tests that were performed on the soils stabilized with the metakaolin (MKG) and fly ash (FAG) based geopolymers. These geopolymers were mixed with the soil at several concentration levels. The lowest swelling percentage was shown to correspond to the sample stabilized with 12% FAG and was attributed to the neoformation of calcium silicate hydrates that acted as a cementitious material, preventing the soil from expanding by occupying the pore space, thus binding the clay particles together. Conversely, the 12% MKG-stabilized soil exhibited enormous expansion, which was explained by montmorillonite swelling to the point that it gradually began to lose its structural periodicity. The relatively high abundance of the newly formed feldspathoids in MKG-treated samples is believed to have greatly contributed to the overall soil expansion. Finally, the cation exchange capacity tests showed that the percentage of Na + and Ca 2+ , as well as the pH value, exercised strong control on the swelling behavior of smectitic soils.

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