What is it about?
Guar gum which galactomannan naturally interacts with xanthan gum and forms crosslinked hydrogels. As these two biopolymers have been previously used to stabilise soil used in earthen construction materials, this study explores the crosslinking potential of these two biopolymers.
Featured Image
Photo by Lluvia Morales on Unsplash
Why is it important?
When used individually as a soil stabiliser, each of these two biopolymers namely guar and xanthan gums have certain shortcomings. Like guar gum does not contribute to soil's tensile strength, while a high percentage of xanthan gum may not be sustainable. Crosslinking of biopolymers ensures these shortcomings are addressed which compromising the soil strength or sustainability.
Perspectives
The publication just outlines one way of crosslinking for soil stabilisation. Considering a number of ways to crosslink, this research opens up a new and exciting approach for soil stabilisation.
Dr Sravan Muguda Viswanath
Durham University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Cross-linking of biopolymers for stabilizing earthen construction materials, Building Research & Information, November 2021, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2021.2001304.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
