Geofoam is a type of geosynthetic that is used to replace soil fill. Geofoam’s unit weight is only 1-3% of compacted soil. Therefore, it is suitable for constructing embankment over soft soil to reduce settlement. Geofoam can also be used to extend slopes without causing instability. Due to its lightness, construction of geofoam can be done quickly with little to no help from heavy machinery. Hence, geofoam is beneficial not only in terms of solving geotechnical problems, but also in reducing carbon dioxide emission. Geofoam has been used for over half a century in the construction history. However, adoption of geofoam in Indonesia’s construction industry is minimum until recent years. 2022 marked the first use of geofoam for highway project in Indonesia. The highway embankment was to be built on problematic soil, clay shale. Initial attempt to construct the embankment with soil fill triggered slope failure. Finally, geofoam was chosen to be the only solution that can be used to solve the problem.
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