Role of industrial based precursors in the stabilization of weak soils with geopolymer – A review

The performance and durability of any building component do not only depend on the quality of construction material used but is also defined by the ground condition beneath the structural foundation. Soil properties are difficult to predict and change depending on the soil profile location. Expansive soils, sulfur-rich soils, and hydrocarbon-contaminated soils are considered the most vulnerable due to their sudden shrink-swell assets, pollutants, and complex clay mineral contents. Soil untreated for engineering applications has never been recommended. Numerous geotechnical techniques and natural or man-made additives are available to improve the engineering performance of these soils. But most of those techniques are obsolete due to poor performance. To elucidate this, in recent years, the geopolymer has been introduced in the form of an alkaline activated solution as an alteration to the conservative methods of soil stabilization. It was also hoped that using geopolymer in soil stabilisation would reduce resource exploitation and pollution and improve expansive soil engineering performance. This review examined whether strengthening poorly stabilised soil can improve engineering performance while minimising environmental impacts. The objective of the review was to analyse whether they could be accomplished by accumulating different industrial precursor additives or activators with an alkaline activated solution for soil mechanical behaviour improvement.