Effect of waste materials on soil properties

Abstract

Industrial processes are the main generator of littering agents, and the growing environmental awareness has contributed to a focus on the issue of littering. One of the biggest environmental issues in the world is how to manage this waste given the limited space available, the high cost of remediation, and the need for landfilling. However, the idea of reusing some of this waste is an alternative solution to decreasing the process of landfilling, and reducing the increase of waste. In this research, three different waste materials were used, namely plastic waste, aluminum waste, and silica sand. Each of these materials was mixed in a ratio of 1, 3, and 5%, with silty sand soil. The consistency limits of maximum dry density and the optimal ratio for the preferred materials were determined by examining and comparing cohesiveness and angle of internal friction. Research results showed that the maximum unit weight decreased after adding the waste materials: it decreased by 9.35 and 11.69% when 5% each of aluminum and plastic waste was added, respectively. At the same time, the increase in the inner angle of internal friction reached 26.41% at the highest percentage of plastic waste. The addition of 3% of silica sand gave the highest value of cohesion, and the increase reached 218.7% for soils not treated with silica. It also showed the effect of adding 1% of silica sand on the plasticity, reducing it by 72.7% from its original value.