Durability and Strength Characteristics of Casein-Cemented Sand with Slag

Casein is often used as an eco-friendly wood adhesive. In this study, we used casein for soil cementation by mixing it with Jumunjin sand, sodium hydroxide (SH), and calcium hydroxide (CH) as a standard casein formula. The modified casein binder with different proportions of SH and CH was applied to improve water resistance. Furthermore, a blast furnace slag (BFS) was additionally mixed and reacted with alkalinity of modified casein binder. Thus, three types (standard, modified, and modified + BFS, referred to as STD, MOD, and MBS, hereafter) of casein binders were tested for durability and strength of casein-cemented sand. A piezoelectric sensor was installed within each sample to determine the curing time of the casein-cemented samples. The samples were air-cured at room temperature for seven days and some were repeatedly immersed in water thrice. Unconfined compression and jar slake tests were carried out to evaluate the strength and durability of the casein-cemented sand. Also, the microstructure was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). We observed variations of peak conductance and corresponding frequency converged as the curing time increased. It was most significant for the MBS samples, which developed strength early. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the air-cured samples was higher than those repeatedly immersed in water due to wash-off of the casein binder. The UCS of the dry MBS sample was 9900 kPa while that of the immersed sample was 430 kPa, which gradually decreased to 60 kPa upon repeated immersion. The samples with STD and MOD had no resistance to durability and showed cracks on the surface, while the MBS sample exhibited significantly improved durability and no cracks. We found that the MBS binder had a positively significant effect on the durability and strength of casein-cemented sand.