Effect of Cement-Sodium Silicate Grout on the Compressibility Parameters of Fibrous Peat

Abstract

The distribution of peat deposits can be found in many countries and peat-land constituents from 5 to 8% of earth land surface, where approximately 60% of the wetlands are peat. An increasing growth of the population leads to the necessity of peat-land utilization for development purposes. This article describes a laboratory study on the effect of sodium silicate on the compressibility parameters of peat, which are settlement, void ratio, compression index and coefficient of secondary compression. The effect of the sodium silicate and ordinary Portland cement on the compressibility parameter of peat is investigated through Rowe Cell consolidation test. At the end of this study, it is shown by increasing sodium silicate (within 2.5%), cement on treated peat, they are able to improve compressibility parameters of fibrous peat much more than conventional binders like pure cement.