Potential Use of Enzymes in the Preparation of Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 9
Abstract
Compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEBs) prepared with an enzyme along with a combination of cement and lime have been shown to have a nearly 50% increase in wet compressive strength after two years of aging compared with blocks prepared without enzymes. The influence of enzymes in improving the property of the blocks is confirmed by the changes induced at the microlevel as evidenced by scanning electron microscope (SEM) views. Furthermore, CSEBs prepared with enzymes are also durable and could be beneficial when used as a unit in building construction. The increased strength of the blocks with the use of microdoses of enzymes would lead to a substantial reduction in the quantity of routinely used conventional stabilizers to manufacture blocks of comparable strength and other properties.
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Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank Mr. Apoorva Modi of M/s Avijeet Agencies, local distributor of Nature Plus for providing TerraZyme used for this research studies.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 9 • September 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 10, 2016
Accepted: Jan 24, 2017
Published ahead of print: Apr 18, 2017
Published online: Apr 19, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Sep 19, 2017
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