Geotechnical Properties Of Cement Stabilized Sand Partially Replaced With Kaolinite (A Case Study Of Arola Village, Ede, South Western, Nigeria)

Abstract

The persistent requirement for sustainable construction practices in recent times necessitates the need to execute more research
on possible sustainable construction materials. An example of a possible way to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and
consequent global warming is to substitute cement with another sustainable construction binder such as kaolinite. The
commercial production of cement is a major stakeholder in releasing CO2 into the environment, hence the need for more studies
on substitute binders. The current study therefore explored the soil geotechnical properties of partially replaced cement with
kaolinite clay in some cement-stabilized sand samples of controlled quantities. The adopted mix design of the studied soil samples
is such that 0 - 100% of Arola sands were stabilized with 6% cement, which serves as the controlled sample. Thereafter, the
control sample were replaced with 0 - 100% of industrial kaolinite, respectively. The soil sample were subjected to geotechnical
and strength properties test. The specific gravity of the kaolinite is 2.4 while that of the sand sample is 2.62. In accordance with
the American Association of state highway officials classification system, the Arola sample was categorized as A-7-5, fair to poor
soil or poorly graded sand. The optimum shear properties were found at 50:50% of cement to kaolinite, whereas sand samples
containing 6% cement exhibited the best with least plasticity index and 50:50% as best strength properties values when the latter
was substituted with the former. Therefore, this research contributed to further understanding of sustainable construction
materials.