Effect of Temperature on the Efficiency of Enzymatic Soil Stabilization

Enzyme-based stabilizers have been used in soil stabilization in the construction industry for many years as alternatives to traditional stabilizers and have produced successful results. These novel stabilizers gained popularity over standard stabilizers such as cement and lime due to their non-toxic and non-hazardous properties. Although enzymatic stabilizers perform very well for a variety of soil types under different environmental conditions, their effectiveness under varying temperatures has not been sufficiently investigated. This is more important in countries where there are significant fluctuations in temperature that are further exacerbated by the impact of climate change. As enzymatic products are organic and biodegradable, their susceptibility to temperature variations must be well understood. In this study, the efficiency of a commercially available enzymatic stabilizer was investigated. Tests were carried out to assess the influence of temperatures ranging from 4 °C to 80 °C on the geotechnical properties of enzymatically stabilized soil. The investigation was conducted into the compaction characteristics, index properties, compressive strength, and CBR of the stabilized soil. The results indicate that the stabilizing effect of the enzyme remains largely unchanged up to approximately 40 °C. The outcome of the study enables practitioners to use more sustainable stabilizers to treat problematic soils in regions where temperature fluctuations are within the tested range.