A novel approach to enhance wellbore stability was put forth, based on the wellbore rock properties and instability mechanism of the hydrate reservoir, given the issue of wellbore instability when using water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs) in drilling operations, in weakly cemented muddy fine silt reservoirs of natural gas hydrates in the South China Sea. Three main strategies were used to increase the stability of reservoirs: enhancing the underwater connection between sandstone particles and clay minerals, preventing clay hydration from spreading and expanding, and strengthening the stability of hydration skeleton structure. An appropriate drilling fluid system was built with soil phase containing wellbore stabilizer. Sulfonic acid groups and electrostatic interaction were introduced based on the characteristics of underwater adhesion of mussels. Through the process of free radical polymerization, a zwitterionic polymer containing catechol groups named DAAT was prepared for application in natural gas hydrate reservoir drilling. DAAT is composed of tannic acid (TA), dimethyl diallyl chloride ammonium chloride (DMDAAC), 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and acrylamide (AM). Experimental results from mechanical property testing reveal an adhesion force of up to 4206 nN between SiO2 and 5 wt % DAAT, demonstrating its ability to bind quartz sand particles effectively. The compressive strength and cohesion of the cores treated with DAAT increased by 58.33 wt % and 53.26 wt %, respectively, at -10 degrees C, compared with pure ice particle cores. This demonstrates DAAT can significantly enhance the compressive strength and cohesion of the core. Furthermore, the adhesion force between DAAT and hydrate particles reaches up to 344.4 mN/m, significantly improving the structural stability between hydrate particles. It demonstrates excellent adhesive properties to hydrate particles. In addition to adsorbing clay minerals, rocks, and hydrate particles, DAAT also forms hydrogen bonds with argillaceous fine silt particles with its low temperature cohesiveness characteristic. As a result, it improves the cohesion between core particles, and enhances the adhesion between hydrates and rocks, thereby enhancing the stability of hydrate reservoirs. In summary, DAAT is characterized by a simple preparation process, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. It is an innovative and practical material for enhancing wellbore stability in WBDFs for natural gas hydrate exploration in the South China Sea.

Soil stabilizers are environmentally friendly engineering materials that enable efficient utilization of local soil-water resources. The application of nano-modified stabilizers to reinforce loess can effectively enhance the microscopic interfacial structure and improve the macroscopic mechanical properties of soil. This study employed nano-SiO2 and nano-CaCO3 to modify cement-based soil stabilizers, investigating the enhancement mechanisms of nanomaterials on stabilizer performance through compressive and flexural strength tests combined with microscopic analyses, including SEM, XRD, and FT-IR. The key findings are as follows: (1) Comparative analysis of mortar specimen strength under identical conditions revealed that nano-SiO2 generally demonstrated superior mechanical enhancement compared to nano-CaCO3 across various curing ages (1-3% dosage). At 1% dosage, the compressive strength of both modified stabilizers increased with curing duration. Early-stage strength differences (3 days) remained below 3% but showed a significant divergence with prolonged curing: nano-SiO2 groups exhibited 10.3%, 11.3%, and 7.2% higher compressive strengths than nano-CaCO3 at 7, 14, and 28 days, respectively. (2) The strength enhancement effect of nano-SiO2 on MBER soil stabilizer followed a parabolic trend within 1-3% dosage range, peaking at 2.5% with over 15% strength improvement. (3) The exceptional performance of nano-SiO2 originates from its high reactivity and ultrafine particle characteristics, which induce nano-catalytic hydration effects and demonstrate strong pozzolanic activity. These properties accelerate hydration processes while promoting the formation of interlocking C-S-H gels and hexagonal prismatic AFt crystals, ultimately creating a robust three-dimensional network that optimizes interfacial structure and significantly enhances strength characteristics across curing periods. These findings provide scientific support for the performance optimization of soil stabilizers and their sustainable applications in eco-construction practices.

The composite rapid soil stabilizer (CRSS) is a newly developed material for rapid curing of sludge with fast setting, fast hardening, and high strength properties. CRSS was used to solidify the sludge, and the durability test of the solidified sludge under the action of sulfate erosion was carried out to analyze the influence of erosion time and Na2SO4 and MgSO4 concentration on the physical and mechanical properties of the solidified sludge. The research results showed that as the erosion time increased, the mass of soaked samples increased gradually. Additionally, the strength of samples soaked in clear water continued to rise, while the strength of samples soaked in sulfate increased first and then decreased. After 112 days of erosion, the higher the concentration of SO42-, the greater the mass of the soaked sample and the lower the strength. At the same concentration, the mass of the soaked sample with MgSO4 was the largest, but the strength was the lowest. Under the action of sulfate attack, the soaked samples produced a large number of expansive products, and the cumulative pore volume first decreased and then increased. The microstructure of the MgSO4-soaked samples suffered the most damage due to the double corrosion of Mg2+ and SO42-. Based on the macroscopic and microscopic test results, the microscopic evolution mechanism of the durability of solidified sludge under Na2SO4 and MgSO4 erosion environments was revealed. The solidified sludge with CRSS has good sulfate resistance durability, which lays a theoretical foundation for the engineering application of CRSS.

The traditional cement-based stabilization cannot effectively stabilize the marine soft clay under submerged conditions. In order to solve this problem, the enhancement of cement-stabilized marine soft clay was investigated in this study by adding the ionic soil stabilizer (ISS) and polyacrylamide (PAM). For this purpose, varying contents of ISS and PAM (ISS-P) were added into cement-stabilized marine soft clay and subjected to curing under submerged conditions. Atterberg limits tests, direct shear tests, unconfined compression strength (UCS) tests, water-stability tests, scanning electron microscopy analysis, and X-ray diffraction analysis were carried out. The results show that using 1.8% ISS and 0.9% PAM as the optimal ratio, the cohesion, internal friction angle, UCS, and water-stability of the samples increased by 182.7%, 15.4%, 176.5%, and 368.5% compared to the cement-stabilized soft clay after 28 d. The increment in soil cohesion with increasing ISS-P content was more apparent than that in the internal friction angle. The combined action of ion exchange attraction and electrostatic adsorption altered the failure characteristics of the samples, resulting in localized micro-cracking and multiple failure paths. Increasing the content of ISS-P strengthened the skeletal structure of soil, reduced inter-particle spacing, and enhanced the water-stability. Additionally, ISS promotes the hydration of cement and compensates for the inhibitory effect of PAM on early cement hydration. ISS-P can effectively enhance the strength and stability of submerged cement-based stabilized marine soft clay.

The ionic soil stabilizer (ISS) can synergistically enhance the mechanical properties and improve the engineering characteristics of iron tailings soil in conjunction with cementitious materials such as cement. In this paper, the influence of ISS on the cement hydration process and the charge repulsion between iron tailings soil particles was studied. By means of Isothermal calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance microscopic analysis methods such as (LF-NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Non-evaporable water content and Zeta potential were used to clarify the mechanism of ISS-enhanced cement stabilization of the mechanical properties of iron tailings soil. The results show that in the cement system, ISS weakens the mechanical properties of cement mortar. When ISS content is 1.67%, the 7 d compressive strength of cement mortar decreases by 59.8% compared with the reference group. This retardation arises due to carboxyl in ISS forming complexes with Ca2+, creating a barrier on cement particle surfaces, hindering the hydration reaction of the cement. In the cement-stabilized iron tailings soil system, ISS has a positive modification effect. At 0.33% ISS, compared with the reference group, the maximum dry density of the samples increased by 6.5%, the 7 d unconfined compressive strength increased by 35.3%, and the porosity decreased from 13.58% to 11.85%. This is because ISS reduces the double electric layer structure on the surface of iron tailings soil particles, reduces the electrostatic repulsion between particles, and increases the compactness of cement-stabilized iron tailings soil. In addition, the contact area between cement particles increases, the reaction energy barrier height decreases, the formation of Ca(COOH)2 reduces, and the retarding effect on hydration weakens. Consequently, ISS exerts a beneficial effect on augmenting the mechanical performance of cement-stabilized iron tailings soil.

This article discusses the utilization of industrial construction waste for resource recycling and disposal. It focuses on researching a new water-resistant, self-healing soil curing technology called road liquid, which is a fly ash-based soil curing agent. This technology is used for the curing of industrial construction waste disposal methods. For the first time, the soil curing agent is mixed into the construction waste along with cement stabilization. Different amounts of mixing are used as controls to evaluate the performance of the curing material after the construction waste is cured. The study focused on the material properties of cured construction waste, specifically examining strength, water resistance, and self-healing properties. The study showed that the curing agent road liquid enhanced the strength, water resistance, and self-healing properties of the cured construction waste at various cement dosages. The 7-day unconfined compressive strength of recycled aggregates with a 5% cement dosage, added with the curing agent road liquid, was higher than that of recycled aggregates with a 6% cement dosage without the curing agent road liquid. The experimental results show that using this type of granular solid waste as pavement base material is more practical for engineering purposes. The curing agent road liquid can enhance the curing effect of recycled aggregate, thereby reducing the need for cementitious materials and achieving cost savings for the project.

The clay brick industry is facing significant challenges related to improving its physico-mechanical properties and durability performance of sustainable products. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of stabilizers (lime and cement) on the clay brick properties of three soils. The investigated soils were taken from different regions of Algeria. A series of laboratory experiments were carried out to examine the effect of lime and cement addition with different ratios of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%, on the mechanical properties. The assessment was based on compressive strength, flexural strength, total and capillary water absorption tests. The test results showed that the lime addition to soils A and B led to a significant increase in compressive strength (CS) by 47% and 101%, respectively. The highest values obtained were for the 8% ratio. The obtained gain in compressive strength soil C reached its maximum CS at 6% ratio, and the obtained gain was 44%. However, for cement addition, the highest CS values were obtained at the 10% ratio for all studied soils. The observed gains in compressive strength for soils A, B, and C were 24%, 15%, and 33%, respectively. Flexural strength (FS) followed a similar trend, with lime addition improving (FS) by up to 400% for soil A at an 8% ratio. Cement addition also enhanced (FS), with the highest improvement of 103%, which was observed for soil A at a 10% ratio. It was also observed that lime addition significantly decreased the total absorption by up to 36% at an 8% ratio for soils A and B, and at 6% for soil C. In contrast, the total absorption decreased uniformly with the cement addition up to the 10% ratio. The lowest absorption observed at a 10% ratio was 11.95%. Lime addition also decreased the capillary absorption of clay bricks, and the lowest value was observed at an 8% ratio for both soils (A and B) and 6% for soil C. The CA values decreased by approximately 24% for soils A and B and 14% for soil C. In the case of cement addition, it was noted that the capillary absorption had the same pattern as the total absorption. The percentage decreases in CA were 41%, 40%, and 38% for soils A, B, and C, respectively. These results indicate that the enhancement of clay brick was observed for lime addition ranging from 2% to 8%. Therefore, good mechanical strengths were obtained at a 10% cement ratio.

In recent decades, rapid urbanization has generated a large amount of waste soft soil and construction debris, resulting in severe environmental pollution and posing significant challenges to engineering construction. To address this issue, this study explores an innovative approach that synergistically applies recycled fine aggregate (RFA) and soil stabilizers to improve the mechanical properties of soft soil. Through laboratory experiments, the study systematically examines the effects of different mixing ratios of RFA (20%, 40%, 60%) and soil stabilizers (10%, 15%, 20%) with red clay. After standard curing, the samples underwent water immersion maintenance for varying durations (1, 5, 20, and 40 days). Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical performance of the samples, and the mechanisms were further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size distribution (PSD) analysis. The results indicate that the optimal performance is achieved with 20% RFA and 20% stabilizer, reaching the highest UCS value after 40 days of water immersion. This improvement is primarily attributed to the formation of a dense reticulated structure, where RFA particles are effectively encapsulated by clay particles and stabilized by hydration products from the stabilizer, forming a robust structural system. Unconsolidated undrained (UU) tests reveal that peak deviatoric stress increases with confining pressure and stabilizer content but decreases when excessive RFA is added. Shear strength parameter analysis demonstrates that both the internal friction angle (phi) and cohesion (c) are closely related to the content ratios, with the best performance observed at 20% stabilizer and 20% RFA. PSD analysis further confirms that increasing stabilizer content enhances particle aggregation, while SEM observations visually illustrate a denser microstructure. These findings provide a feasible solution for waste soft soil treatment and resource utilization of construction debris, as well as critical technical support and theoretical guidance for geotechnical engineering practices in high-moisture environments.

In this research, a soil reinforcement approach was explored by introducing a polyvinyl acetate polymer treatment along with sisal fiber material, considering two mean particle sizes (D50 = 0.63 and 2.00 mm). The sand specimens were mixed with varying sisal fiber contents (Fs = 0 to 0.8%) and polyvinyl acetate polymer contents (PVAc = 6%, 9%, and 12%). A series of unconfined compression tests were performed to evaluate the compressive strength of the tested materials. The experimental findings indicate a positive correlation between the concentration of polyvinyl acetate polymer and the unconfined compressive strength within the tested range. The shear strength and of the sand initially increases with rising sisal fiber contents and then decreases with further increments in sisal fiber, peaking at a maximum value when the fiber content reaches a threshold of 0.6%. The findings validate the significance of the strain energy parameter as a reliable indicator for elucidating and forecasting the mechanical characteristics of soil reinforcement. New correlations have been developed to predict variations in unconfined compressive strength and peak strain energy based on the studied parameters (Fs, PVAc, and D50). The agreement between predicted and measured characteristics validates the effectiveness of these established relationships in accurately predicting UCS and strain energy factors.

Loess is widely distributed in China but suffers from inherent deficiencies limiting its direct use as a subbase material in road construction without modifications. This study investigated the utilization of Phosphogypsum (PG), an industrial waste, in a composite stabilizer containing cement, lime and slag powder for modifying loess in the subbase application. An orthogonal test design was employed to optimize the composite proportions. Laboratory tests evaluated the mechanical properties including unconfined compressive strength (UCS), splitting tensile strength, resilient modulus and water stability of modified loess over curing periods up to 90 days. Microstructural evolution was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed the composite containing 25 % PG, a cement-slag ratio of 4:6 and 5 % lime imparted the highest strengths. Mechanical performances increased with curing time and stabilizer content. Water stability and heavy metal immobilization were satisfactory. Microstructural results revealed microstructural densification occurred through hydration product development binding soil particles. This work demonstrated the technical and environmental viability of recycling PG through loess improvement, offering a sustainable solution for problematic soil stabilization and industrial waste utilization.