A Review on Chemical Stabilization of Peat

• Published in: Geotechnical and geological engineering 2021-12, Vol.39 (8), p.5429-5443
• Main Authors: Khanday, Suhail Ahmad, Hussain, Monowar, Das, Amit Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Binders; Blast furnace chemistry; Blast furnace practice; Blast furnace slags; By products; Byproducts; Cement; Civil Engineering; Compressibility; Concrete; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Fly ash; Fossils; Geopolymers; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Granulation; Heat of hydration; Hydration; Hydrogeology; Mechanical properties; Organic soils; Peat; Shear strength; Silica; Silica fume; Silicon dioxide; Slag; Soil; Soil compressibility; Soil lime; Soil stabilization; Soil structure; Stabilization; State-of-the-Art Review; Sustainable development; Terrestrial Pollution; Void ratio; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Workability
• ISSN: 0960-3182; 1573-1529
• DOI: 10.1007/s10706-021-01857-1

Peat is a problematic or weak soil derived from fossilized organic material. The characteristics of peat like low shear strength (3–16 kPa), high water holding capacity (up to 850%), high compressibility with an initial void ratio in the range of 5–15 and chances of decaying further as time passes makes it unsuitable for the foundation. Therefore, for any infrastructure development in peat, its stabilization is inevitable. The chemical stabilization includes the use of conventional binders like lime and cement and non-conventional binders like fly ash, rice husk ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) and silica fume. Further, in conventional stabilization, an extra amount of stabilizer (5–10%) is required to compensate the high-water cement ratio responsible for producing a lot of heat of hydration, leading to the failure of soil and the structure built over it. However, the use of non-conventional binder from agricultural and industrial by-products can partially replace conventional binders in which hydration takes place gradually. These by-products can be further activated by the alkaline solution to form ‘geopolymer’, which has shown better mechanical strength, workability, durability and complete replacement of conventional binders in soil stabilization. Therefore, the use of geopolymer in peat stabilization would be a blessing towards sustainable development.