Potential of snail shell and palm kernel shell powders in improving engineering properties of clay

Abstract

This research is aimed at using Snail Shell Powder (SSP) and Palm Kernel Shell Powder (PKSP) in stabilizing clay. Elemental and oxide compositions of the powders were determined and they revealed SSP is richer in CaO than PKSP. Sieve Analysis, Compaction, California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and Atterberg Limit were conducted on natural and stabilized soil mixture. The natural soil (A-7-6) was blended with SSP and PKSP at varying proportion of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by dry weight of soil respectively and also combined at ratios not more than 10% total . Inclusion of additives increase the Maximum Dry Density (MDD) while it predominantly decrease the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) values of the stabilized soil mixture. Plasticity Index (PI) decrease with the addition of the powders with the best performance observed mostly with SSP blended soil. It was also found that the CBR values of soil increase with corresponding increase in dosage of the powders. Soil blended with 8% SSP offered the best result with increase in MDD from 1198 to 1300kg/m 3 while the combined additives gave the best result at 2%SSP+8%PKSP addition with MDD increasing to 1266 kg/m 3 and further reduction of OMC to 21%. The best results in PI were from Soil blended with 2% SSP and also 2%SSP+8PKSP with 6.25% and 9.2% respectively. For CBR, soil blended with 8% SSP and 2%SSP+8PKSP of combined ratio gave peak performances. The potential of these additives in improving soil properties and reducing construction cost of road are presented.

Potentials of palm kernel shell derivatives: a critical review on waste recovery for environmental sustainability

“…In the improvement of the geotechnical properties of laterite, powdered PKS as well as PKS ash were successfully employed for soil stabilization (Onyelowe and Maduabuchi, 2017;Okonkwo, 2019;Adeboje et al, 2017). Ayodele and Popoola, (2019) used a blend of PKS and snail shell powder while Arifin and Rahman (2019) used a mixture of PKS ash and cement to stabilize clay soil. In ceramics processing, Kadir et al (2017) used PKS as a partial replacement of clay component in fired brick.…”

Evaluation of compressive strength and abrasive properties of rice husk ash – cement compressed stabilized earth bricks

“…These alternative construction materials may be fibres, shells, ashes (Pozzolanic or Non-pozzolanic), etc. [8]. Pozzolans are supplementary cementitious materials that when added to Portland cement, contribute to the properties of the hardened concrete through hydraulic or pozzolanic activities or both.…”

Influence of Rice Husk Ash Fines on Geotechnical Properties of Lime Stabilized Lateritic Soil

“…In an attempt to provide sustainable construction materials through efficient reuse of waste materials, geo-environmental and geotechnical engineers are paying particular attention to the implications of soil stabilization with agro-wastes and industrial by-products. This will ultimately encourage the preservation of natural resources, improve the engineering properties of the soil, reduce the cost and ultimately fend off the release of harmful compounds into the environment [2,14]. Consequently, huge efforts have gone into the use of agro-wastes and industrial by-products for soil stabilization.…”

“…Pozzolans could be raw or calcined including natural pozzolan, fly ash, and some agro and industrial waste ashes. Although there is a dearth of information about the statistics of agricultural waste generated, the contribution of agricultural waste to total waste generation is huge in Nigeria [14]. A statistic of1×10 8 metric tons of rice husk was reported to be generated annually as of 2006 [16] and an annual production of 6 × 10 8 metric tons was generated in 2009 [17].…”