Use of Industrial and Agricultural Waste in Soil Stabilization

Abstract

Soil is the foundation material which supports loads from the overlying structure. Soil is the most widely used material in a highway system, either in its natural form or in a processed form. Also, all pavement structures eventually rest on soil foundation. The construction cost can be considerably decreased by selecting local materials including local soils for the construction of the lower layers of the pavement such as the sub-base course. Soil stabilization has become the major issue in construction engineering and the researches regarding the effectiveness of using industrial wastes as a stabilizer are rapidly increasing. This paper briefly describes the suitability of the local fly ash to be used in the local construction industry in a way to minimize the amount of waste to be disposed to the environment causing environmental pollution. Several civil engineering laboratory tests are conducted to study the geotechnical properties of fly ash and strength gain when mixed with local clay sample. A different proportion of fly ash and soil sample cured for 7 days results in a strength gain. A better understanding of the properties of fly ash is gained from the study and the tests indicates an improved strength and better properties of soft soil sample when stabilized. After study of fly ash the bagasse ash has been replace the fly ash for proper proportion. The bagasse ash is the waste which can be created from sugarcane. Maharashtra is one of the largest producers in India. So the availability of bagasse ash is easy to available. Fly-ash, an inevitable waste of coal-fired thermal power plant has great potential in the area of plant growth due to its efficacy in modification of soil health and thereby the plant performance.