RESUMEN
Dimensional stability and compressive strength are key factors to consider when modelling earth-based materials. It defines the volumetric performance of earth-based materials upon wet and dry environment. Meanwhile, the deformation under compression loading is accessed with the compressive strength testing. This study is aimed to use locally available materials considered as waste to model sustainable construction materials through soil stabilisation technique. The utilization of biowaste in this study is aimed to reduce the amount of waste produced in the agricultural sector in addition to the promotion of this material locally in the construction field. Cement was used as stabilizer to establish the performances of the waste-based stabilizer when mixed with conventional stabilizer or partnerless. Borassus fruit ash and cement were used both in solo, and hybrid mix (5wt%, 10wt%) to stabilize termite mound soil in the mix design. The mix design was analyzed microstructurally with scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to understand the effect of each stabilizer on the microstructural level. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) was conducted to identify the functional group present in each mix design to establish the influence of both stabilisers on the bonding mechanism. The mix design was also tested for water sensitivity, linear shrinkage, and compressive strength. From the results, samples containing 10wt% hybrid borassus fruit ash/cement exhibited higher content of Silicon, Aluminum, and Iron consequently satisfactory compressive strength. For hybrid stabilisation of earth-based materials, preference is given to 10wt% stabilisation level. The results of this study are analyzed to reduce the footprint of agricultural waste and to model locally available materials into sustainable housing materials.
RESUMEN
This investigation prospects the feasibility of optimizing the mechanical behavior and dimensional stability of termite's mound soil through alkaline activation. The raw aluminosilicate (termites' soil) was used without any pre-thermal treatment and natural occurring potash was used as the alkaline activator. Different activation level and different initial curing temperature were adopted to examine the effect of the initial temperature and the activator concentration on the Alkali Activated Termite Soil (AATS). Similarly, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) were conducted to characterize the microstructure, to determine the crystallinity of the constituents and to identify the functional groups present within the specimens. These characterizations were carried out on the specimens at 15 days after their moulding. The compressive strength was determined for 7, 15 and 90 days to illuminate the fundamental of the optimization process. Results showed that the optimal initial curing temperature was 60 °C for the oven-dry regime at 3wt% activator with compressive strength of 2.56, 4.38 and 7.79 MPa at 7, 15 and 90 days respectively. From the mechanical performances results, the alkali stabilized termite's soil can be used as masonry elements predominantly submitted to compression. The repercussions of the results are analyzed for potential applications of the Alkaline Activation techniques as an environmental-friendly approach to obtain renewable and sustainable building materials at low cost with low energy consumption henceforth replicable in most of the regions.