Utilization of Lime and Rice Husk Ash for Peat Soil Stabilization in Different Water Content Condition

Abstract

Peat soil is a soft soil with more than 75% organic content, very high void ratio, and very high water content. In recent times, the lack of land use has made peat soil as an option for agriculture, drainage channels, and also for construction. Utilization of peat soil usually causes the peat soil water content to decrease. Based on the condition of its water content, the condition of peat soil can be classified into several conditions, which is peat soil with constant water content, peat soil which affected by ambient water content, and dried peat soil. Some of the improvement efforts made include the method of improvement by means of stabilization. The stabilization material used was a mixture of lime (CaCO3) and rice husk ash with the combination of 70% rice husk ash and 30% lime. Based on those studies, the use of the stabilization method is not recommended if the peat soil water content has decreased more than 50%. Therefore, the peat soil water content needs to be maintained in order for the stabilization to be effective and also for the sake of environmental preservation.