Abstract
This study aims to stabilize black cotton soil in an environmentally friendly manner by integrating chemical stabilization and bioprecipitation. To improve the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), the soil was partially replaced by ferrochrome ash (FCA) and blended with urease positive bacteria, urea, and calcium chloride. Characterization studies examined microstructural changes. Leachate analysis determined whether this method is environmentally safe. Consequently, experiments were conducted using a central composite design and the UCS was modeled using response surface methodology (RSM) to evaluate the influence of each additive. Liquid extracts of stabilized soil were analyzed for concentrations of chromium, iron, zinc, lead, nickel, cadmium, copper, titanium, mercury, and arsenic. An improvement in the UCS from 35 kPa to 350 kPa was noticed when 40% of the soil was replaced with FCA and mixed with a bacterial solution of optical density 1.12, containing 0.5 g calcium chloride and 0.5 g urea. FCA content, the optical density of the bacteria, and the urea concentration were the factors affecting the UCS significantly. Lead, cadmium, titanium, mercury, and arsenic were not detected in water-based extracts of stabilized soil due to the immobilization effect of calcite. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEGSEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Thermogravimetric (TG) analyses supported the formation of calcite due to bioprecipitation. Based on the results, it is concluded that FCA and bioprecipitation complement each other to overcome their limitations and successfully enhanced the strength of black cotton soil in an environmentally conscious manner.
Highlights
Soil strength increased by the combined effect of ferrochrome ash and bioprecipitation.
Heavy metals in ferrochrome ash are immobilized by bioprecipitation of calcium carbonate.
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, for providing a fellowship to Kothuri Mahindra to pursue research studies at NITK-Surathkal. The authors are grateful to the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Central Research Facility of NITK-Surathkal, Department of Chemistry, IIT-Madras and National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram for providing the laboratory facilities for conducting the characterization studies.
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Devatha C P conceptualized the research problem and mentored in planning and execution of experimental work at various stages. Kothuri M performed the experimental work and prepared the revised version of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the revised manuscript.
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Kothuri, M., Devatha, C.P. Effect of Bioprecipitation and Ferrochrome Ash Stabilization on the Strength of Black Cotton Soil. Environ. Process. 10, 18 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-023-00632-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-023-00632-z