Rheology of mechanical properties of soft soil and stabilization protocols in the developing countries-Nigeria

Abstract

This work highlights on the available techniques and procedures of soil stabilization and to keep geotechnical engineers in the developing world abreast of the cheaper technologies with respect to soil stabilization. This work also emphasized on the need to make use of the emerging technologies of geomaterials and ecofriendly approaches to achieving a bio-based soil stabilization in this field. We are caught in crossfire when our structures fail due to the fact that soils are not studied to determine what needs to be done to improve in the microstructural, mechanical, hydrogeological, geophysical and strengthening properties of soils before erecting structures. There are lots of soil stabilization techniques and procedures available as outlined by the present work. Apart from the most commonly used techniques; mechanical (compaction, dewatering, mixing and so on) and chemical (lime, cement, bitumen, fly-ash and so on), there are other cheaper methods of stabilizing and improving the geophysical properties of soil like the use of geomaterial additives like bagasse ash (sugar cane foil ash), egg-shell ash, quarry dust, palm bunch ash, palm kernel ash, paper ash, crushed waste ceramics, crushed waste glasses, crushed waste plastics, snail shell ash, oyster shell powder, and so on. The ashes are amorphous materials from the direct combustion of solid waste materials while the powders are crushed solid waste too. It has been found that these biobased materials are also of highly pozzolanic properties which has made this a novel technology because of the green nature of the exercise. The CO2 emission with utilization of these organic and solid waste based geomaterials is zero, hence a total replacement of ordinary Portland cement in soil treatment with these alternative cementing additives is a breakthrough to our environment. Keywords: Soil stabilization, Geomaterials, Geopolymer cement, CO2 emission, Soils mechanical properties, Recycled solid waste materials