Utility of Lime and Red Mud in Clay Soil Stabilization

Abstract

Large amount of industrial wastes are generated from various factories in India and are simply being disposed without any major applications. Alternative materials are to be adopted as a construction material so as to minimize the use of natural resources. Red mud (RM) is generated as a waste material during the production of alumina from bauxite, and it comes to around 40% of the bauxite used for the production. The paper presents the possibility of using red mud as a stabilizing material. The study examines the effect of red mud on behavior of clays by carrying out compaction test, CBR tests, and UCC tests for different percentages of red mud. The red mud soil mix is further treated with lime to understand whether more soil can be replaced by red mud on lime treatment. It was seen that the highest maximum dry density (MDD), UCS, and CBR values were obtained for 15% red mud in soil. On further treatment with 2% of lime, 20% red mud in soil showed more strength compared to 15% red mud in soil ensuring that more soil can be replaced by red mud on treating with lime.