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Effects of biopolymers on the liquid limit and undrained shear strength of soft clays

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Abstract

Little is known regarding the effectiveness of biopolymers in soil improvement, especially considering interactions among different clay minerals, porewater cations, and biopolymer polarities. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the effects and effectiveness of four biopolymers of varying polarity and structure (xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and dextran), on the liquid limit, undrained strength, and thixotropic hardening of soft clays consisting of predominantly kaolinite with lesser montmorillonite. The liquid limits were measured using the standard Casagrande cup method. Fall cone penetration was adapted to determine the development of undrained shear strengths of the samples with time and after remolding. Clay samples were amended by the four biopolymers with a range of concentrations as well as varying NaCl in the pore fluid. Results show different biopolymers affect the consistency and strength behavior of different clays to varying extents; such changes are dominated by the constituent clay minerals’ surface charges as well as the biopolymers’ polarity and structure. Addition of biopolymers to clays results in an immediate gain in undrained shear strength that stabilizes, and some biopolymers exhibit a concentration saturation. Moreover, the neutral biopolymers (guar gum and carrageenan) behave fundamentally differently from anionic xanthan gum and cationic dextran. Advantages and limitations of potential applications of biopolymers in terms of effectiveness, costs, and ease of application are discussed. This research can aid the decision-making processes for coastal geotechnical engineers to determine which of the tested biopolymers presents a safe, cost-effective soil improvement additive for reducing erosion of coastal cohesive soils.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Drs. Jing Peng, Yongkang Wu, and Shengmin Luo of University of Massachusetts Amherst for their help with index testing and X-ray diffraction of control soils. Special thanks go to Dr. Gregory Hendricks of University of Massachusetts Worcester for his assistance with environmental scanning electron microscopy (supported by an award # S10RR021043) from the National Center for Research Resources. Special thanks also to Dr. Charles R. Thomas of Roger Williams University for providing viscosity equipment. Ms. Martha Harris and Ms. Xianxiu Xie performed part of the liquid limit testing.

Funding

This study was supported in parts by the Leo Casagrande Memorial Scholarship (Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers), the National Science Foundation Research Collaboration Network: Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Grant (RCN-SEES, award #: ICER-1338767), UMass Amherst Graduate School Dissertation Research Grant, Charles Perrell Fellowship, the Edith Robinson Fellowship, and the Roger Williams University Foundation to Promote Scholarship and Teaching.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI, 02809, USA

    Pamela K. Judge & Eileen Sundberg

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Pamela K. Judge, Don J. DeGroot & Guoping Zhang

  3. CDM Smith, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Eileen Sundberg

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  1. Pamela K. Judge
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  2. Eileen Sundberg
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Correspondence to Pamela K. Judge.

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The contents of this paper do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health.

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Judge, P.K., Sundberg, E., DeGroot, D.J. et al. Effects of biopolymers on the liquid limit and undrained shear strength of soft clays. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 342 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02830-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02830-9

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