Correction of the granulometric curve of fine soil using ash from the burning of sugarcane bagasse

Abstract

In road works, there are cases in which natural soils have inadequate characteristics for their intended use, especially clayey or fine ones, which leads to the need to find stabilization methods that allow the soil to present itself as a suitable material for its application. Thus, the ash, residue generated in the sugar and alcohol industry from the burning of sugarcane bagasse and which often does not have an adequate destination, becomes an attractive material due to its granulometry and chemical composition. Thus, the objective was to study the feasibility of correcting the granulometric curve of the fine soil from Maringá-PR with the addition of sugarcane bagasse ash, seeking to analyze the influence of this correction through granulometric analysis, particle density, limit of liquidity and plasticity, Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and Highway Research Board Classification (HRB) and compaction curve. The results showed that the incorporation of ash in the fine soil remodeled the granulometric curve, making it similar to that of a sandy soil. According to the HRB and USCS classifications, the soil was shown as an A-7-5 soil or high compressibility silt and the mixture as an A-6 soil or clayey sand. There was also a reduction in the group index, in the limits of liquidity and plasticity, as well as in the optimal compaction moisture. Therefore, the addition of ash to the soil resulted in an increase in texture quality and plasticity. Since, for road applications, a correlation was found between the addition of ash and the increase in the quality of the mixture as a subgrade material.