Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash

Considering the increasing requirements for the recovery of different natural and industrial waste materials, the application of volcanic ash as an alternative sustainable binder to traditionally employed lime and cement is proposed for soil stabilization for geotechnical engineering purposes, thus...

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Main Authors: Svetlana Melentijević, Aitor López Marcos, Roberto Ponce, Sol López-Andrés
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Geosciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/7/261
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author Svetlana Melentijević
Aitor López Marcos
Roberto Ponce
Sol López-Andrés
author_facet Svetlana Melentijević
Aitor López Marcos
Roberto Ponce
Sol López-Andrés
author_sort Svetlana Melentijević
collection DOAJ
description Considering the increasing requirements for the recovery of different natural and industrial waste materials, the application of volcanic ash as an alternative sustainable binder to traditionally employed lime and cement is proposed for soil stabilization for geotechnical engineering purposes, thus providing a reduction in carbon emissions. Soil stabilization was performed on natural clays with very high swelling potential, i.e. those classified as inadequate for reuse as a building material for geotechnical purposes. A mineralogical and chemical characterization of raw materials was carried out prior to the performance of different geotechnical laboratory tests, i.e., testing Atterberg limits, compaction, swelling potential, compressibility and resistance parameters over naturally remolded clay and soil mixtures with different binders. The swelling potential was reduced with an increase in the amount of applied binder, necessitating the addition of 10, 20, and 30% of volcanic ash compared to 3% lime, 3% cement and 5% lime, respectively, for a similar reduction in swelling potential. An investigation of the resistance parameters for soil mixture specimens that provided a suitable reduction in swelling potential for their reuse was performed, and a comparison to the parameters of naturally remolded clay was made.
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spelling doaj-art-e05e6b3840cd4954b75628c77eba995d2025-08-20T03:08:01ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632025-07-0115726110.3390/geosciences15070261Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic AshSvetlana Melentijević0Aitor López Marcos1Roberto Ponce2Sol López-Andrés3Department of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Mineralogy and Petrology, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainConsidering the increasing requirements for the recovery of different natural and industrial waste materials, the application of volcanic ash as an alternative sustainable binder to traditionally employed lime and cement is proposed for soil stabilization for geotechnical engineering purposes, thus providing a reduction in carbon emissions. Soil stabilization was performed on natural clays with very high swelling potential, i.e. those classified as inadequate for reuse as a building material for geotechnical purposes. A mineralogical and chemical characterization of raw materials was carried out prior to the performance of different geotechnical laboratory tests, i.e., testing Atterberg limits, compaction, swelling potential, compressibility and resistance parameters over naturally remolded clay and soil mixtures with different binders. The swelling potential was reduced with an increase in the amount of applied binder, necessitating the addition of 10, 20, and 30% of volcanic ash compared to 3% lime, 3% cement and 5% lime, respectively, for a similar reduction in swelling potential. An investigation of the resistance parameters for soil mixture specimens that provided a suitable reduction in swelling potential for their reuse was performed, and a comparison to the parameters of naturally remolded clay was made.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/7/261expansive claysgypsumvolcanic ashlimecementsoil stabilization
spellingShingle Svetlana Melentijević
Aitor López Marcos
Roberto Ponce
Sol López-Andrés
Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash
Geosciences
expansive clays
gypsum
volcanic ash
lime
cement
soil stabilization
title Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash
title_full Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash
title_fullStr Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash
title_full_unstemmed Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash
title_short Stabilization of Expansive Clay Using Volcanic Ash
title_sort stabilization of expansive clay using volcanic ash
topic expansive clays
gypsum
volcanic ash
lime
cement
soil stabilization
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/7/261
work_keys_str_mv AT svetlanamelentijevic stabilizationofexpansiveclayusingvolcanicash
AT aitorlopezmarcos stabilizationofexpansiveclayusingvolcanicash
AT robertoponce stabilizationofexpansiveclayusingvolcanicash
AT sollopezandres stabilizationofexpansiveclayusingvolcanicash