Applications of Recycled Sustainable Materials and By-Products in Soil Stabilization

Abstract

The notion of sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructures is gaining impetus in the geotechnical engineering research field. Nowadays, employing recycled or waste materials, obtained from the natural sources, are widely used as an alternative method in construction in recognition of the green concept. It is evident that transport infrastructure projects require large amounts of materials and natural resources and consume large quantities of energy. On the other hand, large volumes of wastes are produced daily. In this paper, the beneficial effects of certain agricultural, domestic, industrial, construction, mineral and marine wastes in geotechnical applications, particularly in soil stabilization are discussed. Both methods of treatment are applied to improve the engineering properties of soil to make it suitable for construction. Another goal of this paper is to make a comparison between the effects of different types of waste materials for improving weak soil, and highlight the concept of sustainability to reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint, landfill cost and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, many recycled materials and by-products are considered, and their advantages and drawbacks in soil stabilization are explained. In addition, the key results of many laboratory studies conducted on stabilized soil with waste materials are reported; and their effects on soil stabilization without or with a mixture of conventional stabilizers are discussed. The recent applications of wastes or recycled materials are also outlined. Finally, the future trend for employing recycled materials in infrastructure construction is presented.