Abstract
Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by living organisms and are considered environmentally friendly and sustainable materials; however, the physical properties of biopolymers widely vary for different biopolymer types and compositions. This study aims to evaluate the basic physical characteristics of biopolymer soil mixtures using three different biopolymers (xanthan gum, modified starch, and guar gum) and two types of soils. The two types of soils were selected to examine the effect of biopolymers on the behavior of cohesion and cohesionless soil mixtures. Soils were mixed with various concentrations of biopolymer solutions—over a range of (0.25 to 2 %)—and tested during scheduled curing periods (1–10 weeks). The study shows a remarkable improvement in shear resistance and permeability reduction for both types of soil. The results also indicate that the biopolymer-induced viscosity changes significantly affected the compaction characteristics of the mixtures. Regression equations were developed to predict the values of shear strength and permeability for biopolymer/soil mixtures with different concentrations under various curing times.
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Acknowledgments
The first author would like to thank Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) for providing the financial support (PhD scholarship) for this research as well as the Egypt–Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) for offering the facility and tools needed to conduct this work.
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Ayeldeen, M.K., Negm, A.M. & El Sawwaf, M.A. Evaluating the physical characteristics of biopolymer/soil mixtures. Arab J Geosci 9, 371 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2366-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2366-1