Geopolymers for Sustainable Soil Stabilisation

A Comprehensive Review

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-747-7_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Geopolymers; Soil stabilisation; Sustainable construction; Industrial by-products; Alkali-activated binders; Environmental impact; soft soil; Ground improvement; Fly ash; Slag

Abstract

The increasing population in urban areas puts increasing pressure on the infrastructure and forces its development in geotechnically unstable conditions. Conventional soil-stabilisation methods, such as lime and cement, are still reported to perform well; however, their high carbon emissions and large-scale extraction of natural resources make them unsustainable for the environment. In this regard, the discipline has shown a strong desire to find eco-friendly substitutes for traditional binders. Geopolymers have emerged as an interesting alternative, providing improved subsoil strength by using industrial by-products such as fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), and other aluminosilicate materials. In the context of soil stabilisation, geopolymer chemistry is a coordinated effort to produce cementitious gel networks that bind soil particles, thereby increasing the adhesive properties, rigidity, and mechanical strength of the strata involved, often equivalent to, and sometimes even superior to, what Portland cement can accomplish. The current literature review has covered a variety of geopolymer formulations, including fly ash, slag, BOFS, calcium-free, glass-powder and phosphate-based products. Special focus is placed on the effects of alkali activators such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃), aluminium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP), and potassium hydroxide (KOH) on the performance of the resulting material. The critical determinants of geopolymer behaviour, particularly the precursor to activator ratio, particle size, pH, matrix structure, and curing state, are examined in terms of their effects on strengthening and durability. The article also questions the applicability of geopolymer for dust reduction and stabilisation of semi-arid, loosely consolidated soils under three environmental conditions: dry, saturated, and flooded. Additionally, a quantitative comparison of the carbon footprints of conventional cementitious practices and geopolymer systems, measured across various strength grades, is provided.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Aditya Shukla
AU  - B. K. Singh
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/24
TI  - Geopolymers for Sustainable Soil Stabilisation
BT  - Proceedings of the International Seminar on Designing the Future (ISDF 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 209
EP  - 230
SN  - 3091-4442
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-747-7_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-747-7_10
ID  - Shukla2026
ER  -