Peat soil mass stabilization using geopolymeric hybrid material in early age

Peat is an organic soil, highly compressible and has high water content. The soil needs to be stabilized chemically by incorporating binders such as cement and lime into the soil that will change the properties and soil strength. However, stabilization using cement solely is not recommended since the organic acid in peat soil could delay cement hydration process. Furthermore, mass stabilization using pozzolanic material also could improve strength development of peat soil. In this research, the pozzolanic material in the form of geopolymer hybrid or geopolymer with the addition of Ordinary Portland Cement was investigated. Geopolymer was produced by activating fly ash with a combination of NaOH and sodium silicate. OPC addition improves initial strength and assists geopolymerization at ambient temperature. Variables studied were binder content and a percentage of OPC, and percentage of fly ash. Unconfined Compressive Stress (UCS) at 7 days was measured for all specimens. Mass stabilization using fly ash geopolymer hybrid could improve strength development of peat soil.