Soil Stabilization Using Gum Arabic Biopolymer

Biopolymer binders have been proposed as sustainable soil stabilizers due to their gelation properties and extraction process. This study investigates the potential of gum arabic, a polysaccharide-based biopolymer, for soil stabilization. Various types of sands are used to examine the strength and stiffness characteristics of gum arabic-treated sand. Three different biopolymer contents are used to investigate the influence of gum arabic on rheological behavior, the strength, and stiffness characteristics of treated sand. Rheological analysis indicated that both shear stress and viscosity remain almost constant for 24 h, regardless of biopolymer content. The rheological behavior, such as shear thinning and thickening, of hydrogel varies with biopolymer content. The compressive strength of treated specimens improved significantly within the range of 1.3-7.5 MPa after curing for 28 days. The shear wave measurements demonstrate enhanced stiffness across curing periods, with higher biopolymer contents demonstrating the most significant improvements. Microscopy image of the treated sand shows the effective bonding and cohesive network formed by gum arabic hydrogel, which filled pore spaces and reinforced the soil matrix. Therefore, the findings from this study suggest that gum arabic biopolymer can serve as a soil stabilizer, providing effective strength and stiffness improvement.