Polymer soil stabilization with cement production, which can be as high as 1.25 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of cement. Polymer treatments modify the size, shape, and cohesion of soil aggregates by changing the interactions between soil particles. Because polymer-soil interactions occur on the surfaces of soil particles, the amount of surface area in the soil (in other words, its dominant particle size) is of great importance. Polymers have only weak interactions with the large sand- and silt-sized particles of soil, while they bond directly to finer clays. Although polymers mainly interact with the clay fraction of soils, they do change the
Earthen plaster lime or gypsum, while stucco uses a cement or synthetic binding element. Clay is a soil component consisting of extremely fine particles. Most clays consist of hydrous aluminum silicates, though there is a considerable amount of chemical variation among the clays. Clay is cohesive and binds to the sand and the straw, holding the mixture together, as well as securing the mixture to the wall. Clay is also plastic when wet, which makes the plaster mixture workable. Sand provides structure, strength, and bulk to earthen plasters. Sand consists of tiny mineral granules of rock, its parent material. Predominately composed of