Effect of Alkali-Activated Binder-Treated Natural Jute Sheet on Soil Erosion: A Semi-field Approach

Slope failures in soil induced by intense rainfall are significant geotechnical disaster globally. The hitting force of raindrops on the surface of the slope washes away the soil particles, which leads to soil erosion. The primary factors affecting soil erosion are rainfall intensity, rainfall duration, slope angles, and heights. The present study evaluates the efficiency of a geotextile jute sheet coated with an alkali-activated binder (AAB) as a protective layer against the soil erosion due to rainfall. AAB was prepared by combining an activator solution (sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide) with pozzolanic precursors (Class F fly ash) at varying water-to-solid (w/s) ratios of 0.3–0.5. The research also compares the soil erosion behavior in the form of sediment yield under different slope angles and raindrop intensities. A laboratory soil slope-scale embankment model covered with and without a coated geotextile sheet was constructed by applying artificial rainfall. Furthermore, the slope failure against rainfall is validated using the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) numerical modeling. The results show that soil erosion was reduced by 68.6% when slopes were covered with 0.35 w/s-based AAB-coated geotextile jute sheet.