Sustainable soil stabilization: the use of waste materials to improve the engineering properties of soft soils

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges of recent civil engineering is the need to make it sustainable by implementing environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions. The search for new materials and technologies is an important and current issue also in the strengthening of soft soils. In the soft soil stabilization process, conventional materials (cement and lime) are being replaced by waste materials, such as stone slurry waste, spent coffee grounds, rice husk ash, crushed waste concrete and glass, natural fibers, sawdust, waste tire rubber and plastic waste materials. Appropriate waste admixture content contributes to soil reinforcement by reducing compressibility and increasing maximum density and shear strength. The application of waste as an admixture is an economically and ecologically beneficial method of soil improvement. It eliminates the cost of materials and helps to reduce the problem of waste disposal, which is sometimes very expensive and problematic. The study aims to analyze the effect of waste materials on improving the physical and mechanical properties of soils based on the research results presented in the literature.