The Effects of Calcium Carbide Residue and Plastic Fines on Bentonite Clay

This study investigates the effects of Calcium Carbide Residue and Plastic Fines on Bentonite clay.The research aims to improve the geotechnical properties of bentonite while promoting sustainableconstruction properties and effective waste management. Laboratory experiments were conductedon the natural soil to determine mineralogical composition and the soil class. Laboratory testresults revealed that the soil is bentonite clay and A-7-5(35) according to AASHTO as well as MHunder the Unified Soil Classification System respectively. The natural soil clayey soils with highplasticity, low strength, poor drainage, and inadequate bearing capacity. Stabilized soils wereprepared at various mixes and subjected to Atterberg limit test. The plasticity index of the variousmixes was determined and the sample with the least plasticity index was adopted as the optimummix ratio because the lesser the plasticity index, the lesser the compressibility of the soils. Thesample with the least plasticity index is of 6 %calcium carbide residue and 4% plastic fines.Samples were later prepared with optimum mix ratio at incremental of 2% to 12% and subjectedto Atterberg, Compaction, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), UCS, and permeability test.Laboratory test revealed that the CBR and UCS values significantly increased from 0% to the peakof 10% while coefficient of permeability significantly reduced from 0% to the trough of 10% withthe least plasticity index at 10%. Compaction test revealed the binary mixture of CCR and Plasticfines which produces the highest value of maximum dry density is natural soil. However, 3 dayscuring period produced the lowest UCS values compared to the 28 days period which producedthe maximum UCS values. However, for permeability, the natural soil produced the highest valueof permeability. This study recommends the adoption of 10% a dosage for the optimal performanceand recommend long term evaluations to fully ascertain the durability and environmentalassessment to support real world applications.