Abstract
Expansive soils are a major concern in geotechnical engineering, especially for light structures, due to swell-shrink behavior with moisture content variation. Lime is broadly used in swelling soil stabilization, but the use of industrial waste is emerging as a sustainable solution. Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) is a by-product of the sugar and ethanol industry, with annual world production of around 10 million tons, and several times it has inadequate final disposal. So, this study presents the first evaluation of the feasibility of utilizing SCBA as a stabilizer for compacted swelling soil. For this purpose, one-dimensional swelling tests were done with compacted bentonite–sand blend/SCBA mixtures molded with distinct proportions (100/0, 93.75/6.25, 87.5/12.5, 81.25/18.75, 75/25), compacted in different dry unit weights (12.75 kN/m3, 13.75 kN/m3, 14.75 kN/m3, 15.75 kN/m3, and 16.75 kN/m3) with water content of 19.5%. Methylene blue index tests assessed the mixture’s cation exchange capacity (CEC). The bentonite–sand blend swells up to 16.15% and continues swelling after 72 h. By adding 6.25% or more of SCBA, little or no swelling was perceived after 24 h of testing. Furthermore, the denser the blend is, the more it will expand. However, adding 12.5% of SCBA or more in all samples tested presents one-dimensional swelling lower than 0.5%, with no further swell perceived. In addition, CEC agrees with blend swelling behavior. The swell mitigation is attributed to the presence of MgO and CaO in SCBA, as Mg+2 and Ca+2 can chemically alter the soil through cation exchange, replacing monovalent cations in the clay.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Brazilian Research Council/Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (CNPq/MCT) for the financial support to the research group.
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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, 430993/2018-8,CARINA SILVANI
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Silvani, C., da Silva, J.C. & Guedes, J.P.C. Sugarcane Bagasse Ash as a Green Stabilizer for Swelling Soil. Geotech Geol Eng 42, 1459–1470 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-023-02628-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-023-02628-w