Effect of wheat straw protein hydrogel on the mechanical and compressibility behavior of dispersive soil (opens in new tab)

Dispersive soils pose serious challenges in geotechnical engineering due to their high susceptibility to internal erosion upon contact with water. This study investigates a sustainable bio-stabilization approach using a natural hydrogel synthesized from gluten protein extracted from wheat straw, combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and boric acid as cross-linking agents. The hydrogel was incorporated into dispersive ML soil collected from the Jafariyeh region of Qom, Iran, at dosages of 1%, ...