Exploring the potential of locally sourced biopolymers to stabilize lateritic earthen construction

The construction of earthen materials offers numerous local and ecological advantages, and the increasing population and expensive imports of binders in regions such as French Guiana emphasize the demand for innovative options. However, earthen materials construction presents challenges associated with the presence of water, particularly in humid environments where tropical conditions are present. Stabilization techniques that utilize traditional hydraulic binders are costly and are associated with adverse impacts on the environment. The goal of this research is to determine the biopolymers that can be used to provide soil stabilization in the most economically viable, as well as sustainable, manner. The study recognizes that such possibilities exist depending on the soil

composition, but the study focuses on the highly weathered, climates of French Guiana, as well as the presence of biopolymers in that specific region. The research design consisted of three primary goals. The first goal was to characterize the diversity of the various types of soil through the chemical and mineralogical examination of seventeen samples of soil. The second goal was to identify potential biopolymers from waste or by-products of agriculture that can be used in construction within the region. The third goal was to investigate the interactions of the biopolymer tannin, which has been used historically for soil stabilization, with selected lateritic soils. The initial results indicated that the

lateritic soils obtained were composed primarily of differing amounts of silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and iron oxide, and some additional characterization was performed by infrared spectroscopy.

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