Soil Stabilisation Techniques

The role of soil is crucial for the design and construction of any structure, be it roads, runways or railway tracks. This is because it acts as the medium for effective load transfer in to the earth. This implies that a weak soil base will eventually cause settlement of the structure, leading to failure.
Stabilisation is the process of improving the engineering properties of the soil before construction. Stabilisation is done to improve the strength of the soil and shrink/arrest the swelling potential, thus improving the load bearing capacity and the overall performance of the in-situ soils.

There are 3 main methods for soil stabilisation:
1. Mechanical stabilisation

This category consists of physical processes such as compacting or tamping with machineries including rollers or rammers. The mechanical soil stabilisation is also achieved by blending (adding or removing) different soil particles so as to obtain effective distribution of soil particle. These techniques are usually used for sub-base and base courses.

2. Chemical Stabilisation

As the name suggests, stabilisation of soils depends on the chemical reaction between the chemical/stabiliser used and the soil particle composition. These include, Cement, Lime, Magnesium Chloride, Bitumen Emulsion and Fly Ash among others.

Traditionally and widely practiced type of soil stabilisation techniques include:

i. Bitumen Emulsion
Bitumen emulsion is used as a binding agent both cohesive as well as non-cohesive soils. However, in soils with finer grain sizes, this method may no longer be cost effective as the soil particles require a high dosage of bitumen emulsion in order to provide the same/better level of bonding. Bitumen emulsion is not environmentally friendly and becomes brittle when it dries, which affects the stability of the soil.

ii. Cement/Lime
Cement/Lime is widely used as a soil stabilising agent. Addition of cement to soil improves the strength of the soil. It is used for the sub-base and base courses of all types of pavement. However, due to the consequent wet and dry cycles, there occurs a degradation of the bonding between the cement and soil particles. Also, this is a very costly in terms of financial viability. Lime stabilisation improves the strength of the soil by imparting increased bonding between the lime and soil particles. This method is cost effective as compared to cement stabilisation.

iii. Apart from the above mentioned stabilising agents, some other alternatives currently in practice include Fly Ash, Cement Kiln Dust (CKD), Tree Resin and Ionic Stabilizers.

3. Polymer Stabilisation

Polymer soil stabilization refers to the addition of polymers to improve the physical & engineering properties of soils (Polymer Soil Stabilisation, 2019).
Polymers tend to increase the strength of the soil through their interaction with clayey particles present in the soil. Many polymers currently used, tend to increase the water retention capability and the shear strength of the soil.
Polymers used for soil stabilisation can be classified into two main categories viz. Biopolymers and Synthetic Polymers. Biopolymers are eco-friendly as compared to other chemical soil stabilisers.

Soil Conditioner Fertilizer Manufacturer

Soil Conditioner – Synthetic fertilizers are rampantly used in conventional farming. They initially resulted in high yields but over the last few decades, it has lead to a decline in soil health and stagnation in yield quantity & quality.

To counter this problem, a combination of both biofertilizers and soil conditioners is the optimum solution.  The soil conditioner component works as a soil amendment that improves soil porosity and water holding capacity, leading to a larger and active root zone and promotes the growth of beneficial biology.

The bio-fertilizer component adds mycorrhiza (beneficial fungus) as an inoculum to further boost its population leading to an extension of the existing root zone, which enables higher water and nutrient absorption. Mycorrhiza is a beneficial fungus that provides essential nutrients in exchange of sugar exudates from the plant. The glomalin secreted by it provides a better structure to soil & stimulates the growth of soil biology such as beneficial nematodes, protozoa and bacteria that help recycle nutrients between the crop and soil.

This combination of bio-fertilizer and soil conditioner along with the use of organic inputs such as FYM, Vermicompost, etc. allows a minimum 50% reduction of chemical fertilizers in the first use with subsequent reduction of up to 100% with continuous usage over 3-4 seasons. The idea is to revive the soil biology and bring its population & activity to an optimum level along with provision of bio-feed in the form of FYM, vermicompost etc., thus reducing the dependence on chemical fertilizers over time.

Zytonic-M: A sustainable product for a bountiful harvest

Zytonic-M is an excellent combination of a bio-fertilizer and soil conditioner that activates & enhances the population of the soil biology.It develops healthy soils, thereby reducing the need for harmful chemicals and water.

  1. For high plant survival in drought conditions + water savings
    Zytonic-M makes soil soft & porous thus improving it’s water holding capacity. It also builds a substantially larger & denser root zone, which allows the crop to draw water from a much larger surface area. This leads to an extension of the watering cycle and higher plant survival during drought conditions.
  1. For higher soil biomass and improving soil organic content (SOC)
    Zytonic-M promotes the growth of a larger root zone and exponential growth of the soil’s biological population, which contributes to higher biomass being recycled back in the soil. Moreover, the recommended use of FYM, vermicompost, etc. with Zytonic-M and incorporation of crop residues back into the soil further adds to the Soil Organic Content.
  2. For improved yields and higher immunity to pests & diseases
    Zytonic-M builds a highly populated and active soil biology, which constantly provides a ready source of plant available nutrients throughout the growing season. This helps to improve yields from the first use itself, whilst reducing the dependence on chemical fertilizers over time. It also leads to the growth of strong and high quality crops that are more resilient to pest and disease attacks, thereby reducing the need for harmful pesticides.

End Benefits of Zytonic-M as a soil conditioner/ soil amendment and bio-fertilizer for crops 

  1. Increased yield by 15% to 50%
  2. High quality in terms of size, nutrional content & shelf life
  3. Reduction in irrigation by 20% to 30%
  4. Reduction in chemical fertilizers by 50% to 100%
  5. Reduction in pesticide consumption by 20% to 40%

Zydex Agriculture Solutions enable crops to receive optimum quantities of nutrients by boosting the natural soil biology & allowing the soil ecosystem to proliferate. Zytonic-M improves drought resistance & nutritional uptake for a bountiful and high-quality harvest.

Bitumen emulsion for soil stabilization

What is stabilization?

Stabilisation is the process of improving the engineering properties of the soil before construction. Stabilisation is done to improve the CBR of the soil to be used for a specific construction purpose. This can be done using various additives including Portland cement, fly ash, lime, bitumen etc. These chemicals impart higher bond strength by providing cohesion between the soil particles.

Bitumen emulsion for Soil Stabilization

Using bitumen emulsion for soil stabilisation refers to the process of adding a specified amount of bitumen emulsion to the soil and mixing it appropriately to create a strong and stable base. The bitumen is dispersed in the water in the form of small droplets which are suspended in water by an electrostatic charge of the emulsifier.

Bitumen Emulsions can be used for stabilising both cohesive as well as non-cohesive soils. However, in soils with finer grain sizes, this method may no longer be cost effective as the soil particles require a high dosage of bitumen emulsion in order to provide the same/better level of bonding. Succinctly, the quantity of the bitumen emulsion will depend on the type of the soil so as to offer the desired strength to the soil base.

Following are some of the benefits attributed to the bitumen emulsion being used for soil stabilisation:

Waterproofing: Using bitumen emulsion for stabilisation is slightly different from cement stabilisation, as the soil particles coated with the emulsion renders it water-resistance.

Load bearing capacity: Soil stabilisation using bitumen emulsions result into a permanent sealing of the soil structure. This increases the load carrying capacity of the soil layers. The load distribution is 2-3 times higher than that of the unbound foundation layers.

Flexibility: The soil layers of the roads should act as supporting layers by absorbing the stresses of the vehicles moving on top of it and not deform under these stresses. In order to facilitate this, the soil layers need to be somewhat flexible, so as to retain the shape and size. In case of a rigid structural layer, the risks of crack formation are much higher thus increasing the risk of failure. This is the situation which calls for the use of bitumen emulsion. They are very thin flowing and can be easily mixed with the soil, which also calls for lesser bituminous binder.

Soil stabilisation with Foamed Bitumen

Additionally, foamed bitumen is also currently being used in the industry for soil stabilisation. Foamed Bitumen is a mixture of air, water and bitumen. Bitumen is heated on site and when small quantity of water is injected in to the hot bitumen, it expands explosively to about fifteen times its original volume and forms a mist or a foam. This results in to the formation of bitumen droplets with increased surface area. It has been proven that by applying foamed bitumen, it is possible to produce a semi-rigid layer of stabilised soil.

Safeguard your structures with nanotechnology based waterproofing solutions

Most construction materials used today in enormous quantities are not recyclable. The availability & quality of raw materials have posed serious questions for reliability in construction. The speed at which these resources are being depleted demands serious attention towards finding ways and techniques to mitigate this threat by implementing innovative solutions that can keep structures healthy and long -lasting.

Understanding Nanotechnology

If you ask about nanotechnology 90 out of 100 people will say “I have no idea”, and the other ten will give you varying explanations.

In the metric system of measurement, “Nano” equals a billionth and therefore a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Just to appreciate the size, a human hair is over 1,00,000 nanometers long; therefore, it is virtually outside the nanoscale range!

Waterproofing your structure for complete protection

Water seepage, “architect’s and home owner’s nightmare”, is a perennial problem that causes aesthetic and structural damage to a structure. Many waterproofing chemicals & techniques have been tried and none has an absolute success record.

Waterproofing approach in most cases is – ‘COVER-IT-UP’. We cover up the concrete with various available materials. In most cases, the COVER deteriorates (cracking, de-bonding, peeling, etc.) resulting in water ingress into the structure. This results in shortening of the useful service life of the structure.

Conventional waterproofing membranes like film formers form only a surface film over surface cracks. They cannot penetrate the micro cracks and pore channels and suffer from the following limitation: –

  1. Short life 2 – 5 years
  2. Thermal / UV degradation

New generation penetrative organosilane technology

Now – for the first time, a nanotechnology based waterproofing agent, indigenously developed for the Indian conditions – is available.

The New Generation Organosilane is a blessed technological breakthrough that has addressed almost all issues that prevented widespread use of the Silane technology for mass consumption. The salient features of this new formulation are:

  • Long Useful Service Life (UV stability upto 20 years)
  • Water Soluble – 20 times its volume (cutting transportation cost)
  • Easy to Apply (colloquially speaking, is Idiot-proofed, eliminating misapplication)
  • Eco-friendly (Meets the toughest Californian VOC norms)
  • Affordable (Can be even considered for Low-cost Mass housing)

Through penetrative nanotechnology the basic nature of the structure is changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The earlier, water absorbing structure substrate, becomes water resistant.  This prevents water ingress in the structure and retards ageing of the structure.

The result is, significant life extension of the structures and optimize resource preservation.

Advantages of eco-friendly pigment printing process

Pigments are generally colored, organic or inorganic solid powder. They are insoluble coloring matter mostly mineral origin which are used for the coloration of metal wood, stone, and textile material. These pigments does not have any affinity with fibers. They are used with the binder system for printing.The binder ensures that pigment particles remain on fibre by forming a film on the fabric surface. Long macromocules of binder together with binder and thickener forms a 3-dimensional links on heat fixation. In the fixation process, the printed fabrics are treated with heat cure at 150 °C. This can be done in heat press or hot mangle, or in industrial process, in curing oven. The heat activates the binder to adhere the pigments onto the surface of the cloth. Unlike dye applications, fabrics printed with pigments do not require washing after fixations.

Advantages:

  • Easily applicable
  • Less expensive
  • Highly efficient because of the elimination of washing-off and other finishing processes
  • No pollution

Zydex presents a complete range of fabric printing solutions by offering a variety of innovative products in entire value chain processes right from grey selection to finishing. Our wide range of textile pigment printing inks allow customers to achieve reactive-like feel and color fastness without the effluent management hassles associated with reactive/ procion printing. This helps our customers to achieve higher production efficiency at minimum cost.

Eco friendly printing solutions for reactive and discharge replacement

Reactive/ Procion printing has been the mainstay of printing fabrics due to depth, brilliancy, soft feel and good crock and washing fastness. However reactive dyes require alkaline fixation, consuming large quantities of water for washing. Due to lack of 100% fixation dye contaminated water is produced. The final color depth and tone cannot be ascertained until the fabric is fully processed. This can be termed as blind printing which results into rejection due to color matching issues.

EPRICON

Epricon package is based on eco-friendly pigment systems with matching depth, solidity, soft feel and excellent crock and washing fastness. There is no effluent stream generated unlike reactive dying. Zydex uses pvc free inks and enables printers to move towards eliminating discharge printing processes without compromising on print quality and feel. Our rotary grade whites and clear inks are designed for highest opacity, hand feel and washing fastness mimicking discharge printing thereby eliminating water washing step.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?

  • Replacement of Procion/ Discharge will eliminate pollution
  • It will lead to higher productivity due to removal of multiple pre and post printing processes
  • Being a direct printing technique it will reduce rejections

Is waterproof concrete effective in safeguarding the foundation of structures?

Concrete is highly prone to water pressure, either high or low. Few years after construction, it starts eroding and gradually exposes the base material & matrix laid. Simple concrete structures show these signs early and even come to the point of partial collapse.  More than 80% of issues in a structure are concerned with moisture intrusion, results in huge renovation costs.

Overcoming water ingress in concrete with Waterproofing

Water ingress results from water seepage in the structural defects like voids, honeycombs. If the structure stands on a water table or a near a high soil moisture area; concrete faces the threat of an early degradation.

Waterproof concrete prevents water ingress thus extending longevity to the structure. Use of sustainable waterproofing membranes during construction, can protect the structure by sealing pores.

A durable concrete foundation – Waterproofing makes the structure resistant to extreme water pressures by providing hard-wearing protection that is difficult to penetrate.

Replenish concrete gaps – Shrinkage cracks & structure defects that leave space for water ingress, are replenished, resulting in effective concrete bonding, leading to prolongs structure life.

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR EFFECTIVE CONCRETE BONDING- COLD BOND

PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) or RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) are cast in parts, leading to formation of cold joints.

Joints between the old and the newly cast part become a weak link due to migration of water from newly cast concrete to the cured side.

Cold joints experience shrinkage stresses resulting in cracking & de bonding, leading to water ingress.
ColdBond is a unique formulation of Acrylic reactive nanotechnology. It exhibits dual properties of reactive Organosilane and acrylic copolymer viz.
(1) Penetration & Reaction which makes the concrete surface water resistant.

(2) Penetrative property ensures Water Resistance

(3) Strong Chemical bonding & sealing prevents de-bonding

ColdBond absorb shrinkage stresses, sustain thermal cycling & produces a water resistant bonding interface.

Concrete bonding with Cold Bond is a sustainable way to create monolithic joints, eliminating seepage & leakage and ensuring a firm foundation for the structure.

How mycorrhiza benefits crops?

Mycorrhiza is a beneficial soil fungi. It symbiotically associates with the plant root zone (rhizosphere) with its large network of hyphae, thus effectively increasing the surface area for water & nutrient absorption by plants. The hyphae directly deliver water & plant-available nutrients to the plant roots in exchange for carbohydrates from the plants in the form of root exudates.

Mycorrhiza Benefits:

  • Enhanced water uptake (larger surface area reach) à Drought resistance + water savings
  • Enhanced nutrient uptake, especially P à Reduced need for chemical fertilizers by 50%
  • Improved soil structure due to the secretion of “GLOMALIN” that aggregates the soil. This creates a micro-environment for the conversion of unavailable plant nutrients to an available form not just by the Mycorrhiza but also by other beneficial soil biology such as bacteria, nematodes, protozoa, etc.
  • Improved plant health & immunity due to improved nutrient uptake and mycorrhizal plant protective secretions

How is Zytonic-M different than other Mycorrhiza biofertilizers?

Apart from the biofertilizer component (mycorrhiza), Zytonic-M also helps improve soil porosity, structure and water holding capacity. This creates an optimal environment for different types of beneficial soil biology (mycorrhiza, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, etc.) to thrive. These then actively work towards converting the unavailable plant nutrients already present in the soil to an available form, thereby leading to the following benefits:

  • Reduction in chemical fertilizer requirement (15-50%)
  • Improved soil porosity & softness (improved soil structure). Softer soil leads to deeper penetrating roots and better soil structure improves soil water holding capacity leading to drought resistance & water savings.
  • Higher soil organic content (due to recycled soil biology, plant exudates & crop residue incorporation)

Zytonic-M’s dual functionality as a bio-fertilizer and a soil porosity enhancer is what sets it apart from conventional products available in the market. Farmers world-over have been able to add value to their farm outputs in the form of:

  • Higher Yields (15-50%)
  • High produce quality & shelf-life
  • Reduction in irrigation (20 – 30%)
  • Reduction in chemical fertilizers (50 – 100%)
  • Reduction in pesticide consumption (20 – 40%)
  • Improved soil softness and health

With Zydex’s bio-fertilizer alternatives to sustainable farming, crops grow to their full natural potential with high quality & bountiful yields. The much-needed sustainable farming solution is now accessible due to our biology booster technology à Zytonic-M

Textile printing and its advantages

Textiles, a basic human need has always been a hotspot for innovation. A major modern concern of producers as well as environment groups has been the fact that textile coloring processes involve dyes. The discharge processes have a damaging effect on the environment and involve consumption of large volumes of water. Furthermore, they are toxic to human health.

Acting on these concerns, Zydex is pioneering printing technologies that are free of dyes and discharge processes without compromising the feel and fastness standards typical of dyed prints.

EPRICON – PIGMENT BASED SOLUTIONS FOR REACTIVE REPLACEMENT

Reactive printing has been the mainstay of coloring fabrics due to the exceptional depth, feel and fastness properties imparted. It involves using dying agents, chromophoric molecules with reactive groups, that react permanently to the fabric. Reactive printing does not come without drawbacks though. Reactive dyes require alkaline fixation baths consuming large quantities of water yet do not fully fix resulting in generation of excess dye contaminated water and dye wastage. Further, the final color development cannot be ascertained until the fabric undergoes post processing thus essentially printing “blind”.

Pigment printing on the other hand involves fixing pigments onto the fabric using polymeric binders. The process involves preparing pigment pastes consisting of pigments, binder, thickeners and certain enhancing additives. This paste is then printed onto the fabrics and cured. There are no post processing steps and the water consumption is minimized to paste preparation and evaporated away during curing. There is no effluent stream generated unlike reactive dying.

There have been several attempts to replace reactive printing with pigment based solutions but the challenge of obtaining feel and fastness standards still remains. Zydex, through its Epricon package, has successfully overcome these hurdles in pigment printing. With wet rub and wash standards like reactive and zero hand feel, Zydex is enabling a shift for printers to move towards zero water discharge printing processes without compromising on print quality. Our rotary grade ready white inks are designed for highest opacity and hand feel standards allowing for replacement of discharge printing eliminating water usage involved.

K2 INKS – PVC-FREE WATER BASED GARMENT PRINTING INKS

Zydex is a global pioneer in the shift away from PVC Plastisol based screen printing ink towards water-based technology. With increasing environmental and health concerns around the usage of PVC and plasticizers, there was a need to shift towards more eco-friendly and non-toxic platforms which called for the usage of PVC free inks . With K2 series of water based printing ink, Zydex enables manual and machine printing with the runnability and ease of plastisol and excellent hand feel and fastness standards. Typical inks compromise between hand feel and wet rub standards. Zydex polymer technology allows maximum wet rub standards without losing the hand feel allowing deep color printing with excellent durability.

How nanotechnology provides great solutions to road construction issues

What affects road construction quality the most?

With greater push on sustainability, road construction is becoming an affair that presents many opportunities for innovation and development. The problems are basically two-fold

  • Construction Quality Affected by moisture and other factors
  • Using resources efficiently and sustainably

Water, which is otherwise a boon, can be extremely harmful to pavements. It forces the asphalt binder to strip from the stone aggregate and leads to distresses such as cracking, potholes, ravelling etc. It also compromises the dimensional stability of the pavement by entering into soil bases and making the soil loose which can cause undulations.

Apart from this, incorrect construction practices and injudicious use of resources not just causes inconvenience to construction workers and commuters both, but also results in pavements that need constant rehabilitation which translates to wasted time, effort and money.

With awareness spreading about ruthless depletion of natural resources and the deteriorating environment around us, the need of the hour is to be innovative and come up with solutions that not just ensure sustainability by way of high quality and everlasting roads, but also ensure a nature friendly means of execution.

With economies growing increasingly aware of the use of sustainable road construction, energy saving and proper resource allocation is turning out to be a challenge.

What’s the solution?

The key is to come up with a solution that ensures conservation of natural resources, monetary resources and energy & power while also promising high quality and everlasting roads.

This is what Zydex offers.

By making use of nanotechnology, Zydex has come up with innovative chemical agents that help induce changes on a nano level, effectively changing the properties of the pavement construction material. This ensures higher strength and durability of pavements.

Zydex Road Solutions provides innovative Bitumen Additives that chemically enhance the bonds between the asphalt binder and the aggregate while also making the mix immune to water and the damages caused by it.

The warm mix asphalt solutions allows the contractor to reduce the temperature of the asphalt mix and work at lower temperatures while giving the same, or even better results than hot mix asphalt. This warm mix asphalt solution by Zydex not just helps in saving energy and fuel but also results in better working conditions.

The cold mix asphalt solutions for surface dressings and bond coats is profoundly dependable. The additives used to make this cold mix, enhances the bonds between the asphalt and the aggregate, thus creating a seamless bonding membrane between the pavement layers. It also reduces the amount of asphalt binder to be used. These additives also reduce wastage by eliminating the possibility of tire pick up.

Zydex also provides innovative soil stabilization and dust control solutions that make the soil bases impermeable to water and reduce the expansivity of the base, thus making it dimensionally stable. The nano acrylic co-polymer creates strong inter-particle bonds which when coupled with the water resistant nature of the base, means an immensely strong and self-strengthening base.

Zydex Road Solutions provides the following features:

  • Anti-Stripping: Reactive anti-stripping agent with world class performance.
  • Warm-Mix Anti-Stripping: Patented warm-mix technology for building green and long-lasting roads.
  • Prime Coat: Penetrative, reactive and waterproofed bond coat.
  • Tack Coat: Improved spray, reduced tire tack and quick-setting tack coat.
  • Soil Stabilization: Solutions for expansivity control and bonding of in-situ soil to replace stone bases and asphalt layers in road design.
  • Micro surfacing: Improved coating and strength.
  • Slurry Seal: Improved coating and better WTAT performance
  • Chip Seal (Surface Dressing): Improved strength and bonding to the base.
  • Waterproofing of soil bases: Water resistance with permeability reduced to 10-7 cm/sec.
  • Dust Control: 90% dust control in 1st spray with relief up to 98% in 2-3 sprays
  • Asphalt Emulsion Additives: Improved emulsification, reduced particle size and stronger bond strength.

These nanotechnology solutions provide a 360 degree mitigation and protection of roads. Sustainable construction and energy efficiency become easy to achieve with innovative tools like these!

Biological farming solutions – An alternative to chemical fertilizers

Challenges in Agriculture:

  1. Declining soil health (Hard soils, Low organic matter & soil biological activity)
  2. Stagnating or declining yields
  3. Increasing cost of cultivation
  4. Air & water pollution (Chemical run off and volatilization of chemical inputs)
  5. Affordable (Can be even considered for Low-cost Mass housing)

Solution: Biological Farming

The solution is to rebuild our soils and natural soil biology with biofertilizers! Laboratory soil analysis reports often talk about deficiency of nutrients in the soil. However, it is important to note that only the plant available nutrients are accounted for in these reports. The vast abundance of plant unavailable nutrients is not quantified in these reports! Soils contain all the required plant nutrients in adequate quantities but in an unavailable form. An active soil biology is the key to unleash these nutrients and supply it to plants in an available form. Unfortunately, excessive use of chemical inputs suppresses this process and is the culprit in most cases.

Zydex’s biology booster technology (Zytonic/ Zytonic-M) also works as a soil conditioner that improves soil porosity and water holding capacity leading to a healthy and active root zone full of beneficial biology. These bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and other beneficial organisms work throughout the crop cycle to convert unavailable plant nutrients to an available form for plant uptake. This allows a more sustainable form of farming with low chemical inputs and high quality & bountiful yields especially in drought-stricken conditions. Moreover, the active soil biology along with a larger root zone are continuously recycled back into the soil as organic matter to replenish the nutrients used up by the plants.

Farmer Benefits:

  • Increased yield (15-50%)
  • High produce quality: Size, Nutritional Content & Shelf Life
  • Reduction in irrigation (20-30%) and drought resistance
  • Reduction in chemical fertilizers (50-100%)
  • Reduction in pesticide consumption (20-40%)

Biological Farming can provide safe and wholesome food for all and is the best way forward for the future of Agriculture globally!