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Design optimization and statistical modeling of recycled waste-based additive for a variety of construction scenarios on heaving ground

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Abstract

To minimize the environmental burdens and to promote natural resource conservation and sustainability, a composite additive (CA) is proposed using paper and wood industry waste, i.e., lignosulphonate (LS) and lime (LM) as a replacement for conventional stabilizers. However, the implication of this proposed stabilizer for real construction scenarios requires a multi-objective optimization for a thorough guideline for practitioners. In this regard, the response surface methodology is used for the mix design optimization of the proposed CA for various construction scenarios (i.e., buildings, roadways, and slopes). An extensive testing program is designed and conducted to obtain different geotechnical parameters related to the mechanical, volumetric change, and hydraulic behavior of the soil with special attention to the stabilization mechanism. The interplay between variables (LS and LM) and responses is examined using the effective 3D surface diagrams, and mathematical models are derived for which the difference between R2, Adj R2, and Pred R2 is found to be less than 0.2. In addition, LM is found to be more sensitive in terms of mechanical and hydraulic parameters than LS whereas LS moderately contributes to altering the parameters related to the volumetric change and hydraulic behavior. The optimized mix design of CA (i.e., LS:LM) is determined against the expansive soil stabilization for foundation, subgrade, and slope stability cases which are found to be 1.03:3.57, 0.84:2.90, and 0.9:2.75 as best suitable for these cases, respectively. Predicted responses for the optimal solution for slope stability cases are found to have an error of 0–9.6%. The stabilization mechanism shows that LS and LM work well in conjunction and lead to a more stable soil structure with better interlocking and cementation between soil particles along with the formation of new cementing materials, i.e., calcium aluminate hydrate (CAH) and calcium silicate gel (CSH). The LS in CA is observed to reduce the LM concentration in soil stabilization by up to 45% with improved geotechnical performance. Thus, the proposed CA is vital for natural resource conservation and paper and wood industry–related waste management.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

3D:

Three-dimensional

A :

Represent the LS in Eqs. 8–22

CA:

Composite additive

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

ASTM:

American Society for Testing and Materials

B :

Represent the LM in Eqs. 8–22

CBR:

California bearing ratio

D :

Global desirability

FCCCD:

Face-centered central composite design

n :

Number of observations

p :

Intercept of observations

PF:

Polypropylene fiber

PRESS :

Prediction error sum of squares

q u :

Unconfined compressive strength

R 2 :

Coefficient of determination

RSM:

Response surface methodology

SSM:

Mean sum of squares

SSR :

Residual sum of squares

SST :

Total sum of square

USCS:

Unified soil classification system

OMC :

Optimum moisture content

γ dmax :

Maximum dry unit weight

\(\widehat{Y}\) :

Predicted response value

σ 2 :

Mean square of residual

Max i :

Maximization value

Min i :

Minimization value

T i :

Target value

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Acknowledgements

Tongji University and the University of Portsmouth are acknowledged for their support.

Funding

The support from the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFC1509900) and Shanghai Super Post Doctoral Funding is greatly acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Portsmouth, Portland Building, Portland Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3AH, UK

    Zia ur Rehman

  2. Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Nauman Ijaz & Zain Ijaz

  3. College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Weimin Ye

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  1. Zia ur Rehman
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  2. Nauman Ijaz
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  3. Weimin Ye
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  4. Zain Ijaz
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Contributions

Zia ur Rehman: conceptualization, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing-original draft, review, and editing.

Nauman Ijaz: conceptualization, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing-original draft, review, and editing.

Weimin Ye: supervision, project, administration, resources; review, and editing.

Zain Ijaz: conceptualization, validation, formal analysis, investigation, review, and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nauman Ijaz.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Highlights

• Paper/wood industry waste is reused in problematic expansive soils.

• Extensive geotechnical testing for buildings, roadways, and slopes is performed.

• Response surface methodology is employed for the first time for composite additives.

• Mathematical models are developed and statistically validated.

• Optimum solutions for building, roadways, and slopes are based on the desirability.

• Stabilization mechanism is identified for the optimum solutions.

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Rehman, Z.u., Ijaz, N., Ye, W. et al. Design optimization and statistical modeling of recycled waste-based additive for a variety of construction scenarios on heaving ground. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 39783–39802 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24853-1

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