Soil Stabilization using Polypropylene Clamshell Food Containers

Abstract

Soil stabilization is the method of improving the physical properties of soil, such as shear strength and bearing capacity of the soil, by using controlled compaction or the addition of admixtures to produce an improved soil material that has all the desired engineering properties. The new technique of soil stabilization uses plastic waste as an alternative material is of outmost crucial since plastic wastes are non-biodegradable and remain intact after being buried in soil for many years. The present study is focused on investigating the effectiveness of utilizing polypropylene clamshell food containers as soil stabilizers. The physical properties of the untreated clayey soil are determined by conducting moisture content, specific gravity, particle size distribution, and the Atterberg limit test. Also, the Standard Proctor compaction test, as well as the unconfined compressive strength test, are carried out to determine the compaction and strength parameters of the soil sample before and after reinforcing with different percentages of polypropylene clamshell food container strips such as 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.2%. Findings from this study indicate that the addition of polypropylene clamshell food container strips in the clayey soil is capable of becoming a soil stabilizer agent as the optimum compressive strength of the soil was achieved with replacement of 0.8% of plastic strips, along with increasing the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) while decreasing the Maximum Dry Density (MDD). Successful implementation of polypropylene plastic in soil stabilization can help minimize the volume of plastic waste in the environment, which then leads to developing a sustainable future by utilizing recyclable material as alternative sources in the geotechnical field.