{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T21:05:51Z","timestamp":1792789551944,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789862400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Department of Science and Technology","award":["2025-QY-207"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025-QY-207"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03vz7b375","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["2025-QY-207"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025-QY-207"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03vz7b375","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities","award":["300102315401"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["300102315401"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigates the mechanical properties and strength formation mechanism of loess solidified with a ternary blend of fly ash, lithium slag, and magnesium slag. The mix proportion was optimized using response surface methodology with a Box\u2013Behnken design. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, digital image correlation (DIC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed for evaluation. The optimal 7-day mix (15.926 wt.% fly ash, 10.158 wt.% lithium slag, and 6.427 wt.% magnesium slag) achieved a UCS of 0.974 MPa, while the 28-day optimum (16.064 wt.% fly ash, 10 wt.% lithium slag, and 2 wt.% magnesium slag) yielded 1.834 MPa. Strength development followed a quadratic nonlinear model at early age, shifting to a linear superposition model at 28 days. XRD and SEM revealed that strength enhancement originates from synergistic pozzolanic and hydration reactions under alkaline activation, producing C-S-H gel and ettringite (AFt) that fill pores and cement soil particles. The ternary system demonstrates effective utilization of industrial solid wastes for loess stabilization.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma19183999","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T17:23:17Z","timestamp":1790011397000},"page":"3999","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Synergistic Valorization of Ternary Industrial Solid Wastes for Sustainable Loess Stabilization: Mix Optimization, Strength Evolution, and Microstructural Mechanisms"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Anhua","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, Qinghai Polytechnic University, Xining 810016, China"},{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Tibet Plateau Highway Construction and Maintenance Technology, Xining 810003, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Jiahong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chang\u2019an University, Xi\u2019an 710061, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Yushu","family":"Jing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chang\u2019an University, Xi\u2019an 710061, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Yonghai","family":"Gu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Qinghai Xingli Highway & Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd., Xining 810002, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Yuanji","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, Qinghai Polytechnic University, Xining 810016, China"},{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Tibet Plateau Highway Construction and Maintenance Technology, Xining 810003, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Yindong","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, Qinghai Polytechnic University, Xining 810016, China"},{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Tibet Plateau Highway Construction and Maintenance Technology, Xining 810003, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Bowen","family":"Guan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chang\u2019an University, Xi\u2019an 710061, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"e02947","article-title":"Curing effects on geotechnical properties of clays treated with palm kernel shell ash and rice husk ash: Insights from water absorption characteristics of stabilizers","volume":"20","author":"Jamil","year":"2024","journal-title":"Case Stud. 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