Abstract
This paper presents an attempt to evaluate the suitability of oil palm shell (OPS) and rubberized OPS (ROPS), an alternative bio-material, as reinforcement in kaolin. OPS was surface coated with rubber, and its water absorption potential was studied in 5 media involving water and kaolin samples (with different water contents). The water absorption data measured in the laboratory was used as an indirect measure to verify the degradability of ROPS samples when used as reinforcements in kaolin. The surface treatment of OPS with rubber was found to perform well, with around a fivefold decrease in water absorption, thus making it an ideal treatment procedure to this end. Kaolin-ROPS mixtures with different OPS and ROPS proportions (0, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight) were prepared in laboratory to evaluate their compaction behaviors. Both standard proctor compaction and mini-compaction procedures were adopted in this study to ensure applicability of the findings across a wide range of compaction methods adopted in the laboratory. Compaction curves obtained for both kaolin-OPS and kaolin-ROPS mixes showed a decreasing trend in the maximum dry density values with increasing proportions of OPS and ROPS. Optimum water content of kaolin-OPS mixtures did not show a significant variation, while kaolin-ROPS mixture showed a downward trend with increasing ROPS contents, thereby signifying improvement in the compaction characteristics after OPS reinforcement in kaolin.
Highlights
Recent decades have witnessed the transition of research and industry towards sustainable developments
The main aim of this study is to evaluate the suitability of the rubberized OPS (ROPS) samples as another effective reinforcement material for kaolin in improving the compaction characteristics and behavior of the ROPS-kaolin samples, using laboratory compaction tests
The linear trend of water absorption observed in the Oil palm shell (OPS) soaked in water with time can be explained in accordance with Fickian diffusion theory, which is defined as the diffusion of water from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration [23,24]
Summary
Recent decades have witnessed the transition of research and industry towards sustainable developments. Biomass predominantly used for soil reinforcement typically involves fibrous and shell-type materials, which prove to be a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to synthetic grids and strip-type geotextiles. Among the various locally available bio-wastes, jute, bamboo, coir, and oil palm-based fiber are the frequently studied materials [1], and have demonstrated notable efficiency in improving the strength, ductility, and stiffness in clayey soils. Oil palm-derived fibers have displayed inherent ability to interlock the soil particles together, resulting in a high-strength coherent matrix [2]. Oil palm shell (OPS) is one such bio-mass or by-product commonly obtained from palm oil mills. OPS, known as palm kernel shell, is derived from the palm oil extraction process, mostly in the form of raw shell fractions. OPS is Minerals 2020, 10, 863; doi:10.3390/min10100863 www.mdpi.com/journal/minerals
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