Composite Soil Made of Rubber Fibers from Waste Tires, Blended Sugar Cane Molasses, and Kaolin Clay

Abstract

The use of different chemical and biological admixtures to improve the ground conditions has been a common practice in geotechnical engineering for decades. The use of waste material in these mixtures has received increasing attention in the recent years. This investigation evaluates the effects of using recycled tire polymer fibers (RTPF) and sugar molasses mixed with kaolin clay on the engineering properties of the soil. RTPF were obtained from a tire recycling company, while the molasses were extracted from a sugar cane manufacturer, both located in Colombia. RTPF is a waste and therefore its utilization is the first positive impact of this research, a green solution for this byproduct. Treated kaolin clay is widely used in many industrial processes, such as concrete, paper, paint, and traditional ceramics. The characterization was conducted with scanning electron microscopy, compression strength, particle-size distribution, x-ray diffraction, compressive and density tests. The results showed that the unconfined compressive strength improved from about 1.42 MPa for unstabilized samples, to 2.04 MPa for samples with 0.1 wt% of fibers, and 2.0 wt% molasses with respect to the dry weight of the soil. Furthermore, it was observed that soil microorganisms developed in some of the samples due to the organic nature of the molasses.

The Influence of Molasses Concentration on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Evaporation Boat Waste-Based Crucibles

“…With a 2% molasses concentration, a composite with a high density is produced. As molasses concentration rises, the composite's density reduces [60].…”

Effect of sugarcane molasses on the subgrade of a carriageway

“…Según Popoola, Adekanmi y Olawale [9], en su artículo de investigación realizaron ensayos donde evaluaron la estabilización de un suelo laterítico después de adicionar ceniza de desecho de coco, esta investigación se llevó a cabo en Ikere y Ado-Ekiti en Nigeria donde estudiaron los efectos para determinar el porcentaje óptimo de ceniza de desecho de coco como estabilizante en el mencionado tipo de suelo, para ello se realizaron ensayos de humedad, gravedad especifica, tamaño de partícula, límites de Atterberg y CBR, adicionando ceniza de desecho de coco al 2, 4, 6, 8, y 10%, en cuanto a los resultados se encontró que el índice plástico varió de 13.93 a 9.33% y de 23.64 a 14.46% para ceniza de desecho de coco al 8 y 6%, respectivamente, determinando que el índice plástico es inversamente proporcional a la adición de ceniza, la subrasante natural presentó un CBR de 2% siendo inadecuada y se logró incrementar a un 28% de CBR con ceniza al 8%, la capacidad portante del suelo incrementa con la adición de ceniza de desecho de coco.…”

Thermoelectric Generator Using Low-Cost Thermoelectric Modules for Low-Temperature Waste Heat Recovery

“…This article provides an overview of the efficiency and challenges of incorporating thermoelectric heat recovery systems, made with economic thermoelectric cells marketed in Latin America, when evaluated at the laboratory level (under controlled conditions) and at an industrial level (under uncontrollable conditions). The project is part of a local strategy to improve material circularity [35,36] and energy optimization [37][38][39] in materials and industrial processes in the country, which are issues which have been considered important for decades at the legislative and technological levels. The case study presented here is applicable elsewhere, and is a particularly inexpensive and green solution, feasible to run in developing countries where generation cells are difficult to obtain.…”