With the increasing utilization of underground space, engineering muck has become a potential urban risk. This study employed a waste-to-waste strategy to promote its low-carbon recycling by using rice husk ash (RHA) as a stabilizer, with a focus on elucidating the stabilization mechanisms through multi-scale analysis. The results showed that RHA synergized with cement, enhancing unconfined compressive strength and water stability, while reducing the specific surface area and swelling potential of the engineering muck. The optimal RHA dosage was found to be between 4 % and 6 %, with cement content ranging from 3 % to 9 %. The multi-scale analysis demonstrated that the stabilization mechanisms of RHA-cement stabilized soil were governed by two main factors: structural enhancement and surface modification, both of which were driven by the promotion of novel hydration products through the incorporation of RHA. Specifically, the needle-like and columnar minerals effectively filled soil pores, forming a dense, robust skeletal structure that enhanced the mechanical properties of the stabilized soil. Meanwhile, the honeycomb-like C-S-H gel adhered to soil particle surfaces, repairing cracks and reinforcing interparticle bonding, thus improving the overall structural integrity. AFM analysis further revealed that the honeycomb-like C-S-H gel consisted of rod-like nanoparticles that were regularly arranged on the soil surface. This feature increased surface roughness, reduced fractal dimensions, and created a multi-scale structure of micro-papillae and nano-hairs with a lotus leaf effect, significantly enhancing the hydrophobic properties of the soil.

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.

Soil stabilization using polymers and fibers has been widely investigated in recent years. This study introduces an innovative approach by integrating synthetic polymer (AH polymer) with natural fibers (sisal fiber) for sand stabilization. A comprehensive experimental framework was established to assess the impact of varying polymer content (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and fiber content (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 0.8%, by the mass of dry sand), and densities, on the mechanical properties of stabilized sand, including compressive strength (UCS), tensile strength (TS), and flexural strength (FS). The synergistic stabilization effects of the polymer and fibers were elucidated through SEM. The findings indicate that the synergistic application of AH polymer and sisal fibers significantly enhances the structural integrity of sand. Notably, the UCS, TS, and FS exhibited a well-linear relationship with both the polymer and fiber content. The strengthening effect of fiber was particularly pronounced in samples with higher polymer content. According to the strength increase rate, the optimal polymer content is 2%, and optimal fiber content is 0.6% for the UCS, 0.4% for the TS and 0.8% for the FS. An increase in density was observed to linearly augment the UCS and FS. For sand with 2% polymer and 0.8% fiber, the TS increased linearly with the increment in density, however, for sand with 4% polymer and 0.4% fiber, TS kept a non-monotonic relationship with density. The study also revealed that augmenting the content of polymer and fibers diminishes the brittleness of the stabilized sand, whereas an increase in density has the opposite effect. Furthermore, the incorporation of polymer and fibers resulted in an elevated deformation modulus. The polymer functions as an adhesive, binding fibers to sand particles, while the fibers create a network-like structure that amplifies the effective contact area among sand particles, thereby substantially improving the mechanical properties of the sand.

Northwest China has a large amount of aeolian sand, which exhibits poor gradation, low cohesive force, and loose structure; thus, this sand is difficult to be directly used as engineering construction materials. To solve this problem, this study mixed fiber, silt, and cement to stabilize aeolian sand. The effects of the fiber content (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%), fiber length (6, 12, and 19 mm), silt content (10%, 15%, and 20%), and curing time (7, 14, and 28 d) were evaluated by conducting indoor unconfined compressive strength tests, and the strength prediction and constitutive models were established. In addition, the microstructural and pore variation characteristics were studied by performing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests, and the stability mechanism was elucidated. The results showed that the addition of fibers and silt can significantly improve the strength and ductility of cement stabilized aeolian sand. Under the optimal mixing conditions (fiber length: 12 mm; fiber content: 2%; silt content: 15%), the strength of the sample increased by 274.2% (reaching 1684 kPa) compared with that of cement stabilized aeolian sand (450 kPa). A positive correlation was observed between the curing time and strength development of the samples. The established strength prediction model effectively predicted the strength variations in the specimens, whereas the constitutive model accurately reflected the stress-strain relationship of the specimens. The SEM results revealed that the coupling effect of fibers, silt, and cement makes the specimens more compact and improves the overall stability. The results of the NMR showed that the numbers of macropores and mesopores decreased significantly and that the numbers of small pores and micropores increased with 2% fiber content; the porosity of the specimen was 12.3%, which was 28.6% lower than that of ordinary-cement-stabilized aeolian sand. This study advocates making full use of local silt to stabilize aeolian sand, which has significant advantages in terms of improved mechanical properties, environmental protection, and reduced project costs compared with traditional cement-stabilized aeolian sand. The results of this study have important theoretical and practical significance for the engineering and design of projects in aeolian sand areas.