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POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF GROUNDNUT SHELL ASH AND POP REINFORCED IN SOIL
Shubham Sharma
Abhishek kanoungo
Vishal dhiman
Chitkara University School of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh – 174103, India.

ABSTRACT
This paper reports various studies carried out to enhance soil characteristics which otherwise lack certain qualities. Additives are mixed in the soil to make it desirable. In this
paper, the study focuses on groundnut shell ash and POP. Groundnut shell ash is an agricultural waste product whereas POP is a powdered material obtained from gypsum.
As opposed to other industrial materials which are manufactured and processed in factories, the use of groundnut shell and POP is cost-effective. Herein groundnut shell ash
and POP are used for the stabilization of soil. This will improve the strength moreover improves the undesirable properties such as excessive swelling or shrinkage, difficulty
in compacting, etc. This paper consists of a review of various papers in which a variety of stabilizing agents is used such as fly ash, waste tire chips, cement, lime, etc. The
range in which GSA should be used was almost 0-8% but it may vary in some cases, by addition of 15% to 20% gypsum to sandy soils and 20% to 25% gypsum to clay soils,
one can get the best out of the soil which was otherwise considered problematic it is revealed after referring to the papers. A comparison with other materials can help the
users to choose amongst the materials as to what suits their requirements. Using these materials is an impetus for our environment.

KEYWORDS:
Groundnut shell ash (GSA), Plaster of Paris (POP), waste tire chips, Strength, Soil

INTRODUCTION
Any building structure stands on the foundation of soil therefore soil has to be firm. Soil durability is a very important aspect to be considered before beginning any
construction projects (Dotterweich, 2013). The soil durability and properties must be according to the required standards. Special additives, bitumen emulsifiers, lime,
graphene-enhanced asphalt are industrial materials that are used to enhance the strength of the soil but costs become much greater than the set limits (Esmaeili et al., 2020).
To have control over the costs, some other materials can be used which can be groundnut nutshell, fly ash sugarcane bagasse, coconut husk and many more this waste
material may be showcase better results as compared to the ordinary materials (Sharma, 2019). There are waste materials and by-products which are obtained from industries
that can be used in soil stabilization techniques. These materials can enhance the characteristics of the soil plus keep a check on costs.

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Figure 1: Plaster of Paris (POP).

The waste materials are anyways of no better use and are usually disposed of but utilizing them can help in curbing waste disposal problems (Salahuddin et al., 2020). These
include groundnut ash, POP, fly ash, rice husk, etc (Sharma & Akhai, 2019). Soil stabilization involves mixing materials with soil that can reinforce the features of soil
according to the desired requirements. This is done to achieve a stronger structure, cost-efficiency, and to achieve safety protocols. This review paper studies this
incorporation of POP and groundnut shell ash in soil and how will it affect the durability of soil used in road construction.

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Figure 2: Transformation from groundnut shell to groundnut shell ash.
The results of using groundnut shell ash and POP are to be analyzed by using them in different combinations and proportions with soil. Groundnut belongs to the legume
family (Amarya et al., 2015). It is nutritious and is used mainly to obtain oils and seeds (Gajera & Thanki, 2015). Groundnut shell ash is an agricultural waste obtained by
burning groundnut shells after obtaining the groundnut seeds. Increased groundnut production leads to an increase in groundnut shell ash production if people are aware of
how they can use groundnut shells instead of dumping them away. They are usually buried or burnt. Burying them will require space and burning it causes air pollution. They
contain large quantities of lignin and they do not degrade easily.POP stands for plaster of Paris and its name comes from the fact that it is found in large quantities in Paris.
Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) is suitable for commercial purposes and in making fertilizers (Murmu & Singh, 2014). It is a mineral that exists in white or grey color. It is obtained
after heating gypsum or calcium sulphate dihydrate to about 1400 C TO 1800 C (Suksiripattanapong et al., 2020). There are certain benefits of using POP such as it does not
shrink and avoids cracks (Akubueze et al., 2019). It provides a hard surface and it, therefore, becomes a favorable option in the road (Patchell & Cheng, 2019). It has less
mass and is a bad conductor of heat making it a good insulation material (Wang et al., 2012). Additives reinforce the geotechnical properties of soil. They increase soil
particle cohesion, works as a substitute for cement, and are non-permeable (Peças et al., 2018). In this review paper, the author has highlighted the aspects of using POP and
groundnut shell ash as additives in the soil for enhancing its properties.
There are certain set standards for soil stabilization-
 Assessing the dirt properties of the zone on which work is to do
 Finalizing the properties of the soil which are desired to get the plan on board. So, that an economic/practical strategy is picked up
 To scheme a soil blend test in labs and to obtain the desired soil as per requirements.
The purpose of soil stabilization and adjustment is to obtain good stability soil and expanding protection (Sujatha et al., 2016). Compacting and seepage are the easiest forms
of stabilization/adjustment forms. The improvement is done by various methods to improve the gradation of soil/molecule particle size. Another method is by adding binders
to the soil to get the desired property. There are broadly two techniques under which soil stabilization and adjustment are achieved.
 Mechanical stabilization
 Chemical stabilization
Mechanical stabilization- It is one of the techniques used for soil stabilization. The soil undergoes mechanical energy and changes its properties (Kuttah & Sato, 2015). It is
one of the simplest methods for soil stabilization. Various mechanical tools are used such as rollers, plates, compactors, etc. It affects soil gradation, soil density, compaction,
and other features. Mechanical stabilization is used to change the physical properties of the soil and make it more favorable for usage. It is also modified by actuated vibration
or by fusing other physical properties.
Chemical stabilization- As the name suggests, this technique uses chemical compounds like Vinyl, asphalt, or rubber, etc to prevent soil runoffs, erosion, or any unfavorable
reactions. These substances are also known as chemical stabilizers (Ghorab et al., 2007). It is the most used method in road construction. The main objective of using this
method is to maintain the soil features. Soil often undergoes reactions when comes to contact with water. This further leads to a possibility that it may not be favorable for
engineering ventures. One such example is using lime when the soil has more clay concentration and cement reacts well with sandy soils.

LITERATURE REVIEW

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Table 1 and Table 2 given below show the researches on groundnut shell ash and POP respectively that have been carried out and used in this paper. This study gives a brief
idea about the work done by adding the groundnut shell ash in the soil. The author has collected and studied the work. So that it will give them clarity about the work. That
might helps them in forming better soil.
Table 1: Usage of groundnut shell ash in soil.
Admixture materials
Author Country Findings/Outcomes
used
Groundnut shell ash The research paper concluded that using Groundnut shell ash and waste fibre material in soil
(Krishna &
and waste fibre India adjustment/stabilization is very favourable as weak soils cannot be used in the raft foundation. It helps in saving
Beebi, 2015
material in the soil costs. It is also concluded that using these materials saves energy.
Liquid limits and plasticity index values of 83.36 % and 89.32 % showed that that black soil had really low plastic
(Gajera & Groundnut shell ash levels and is not suitable for engineering projects. On mixing groundnut shell ash, it was found that the index
India
Thanki, 2015) mixed with black soil properties and durability values got better. It is also found that linear shrinkage increases as we add groundnut shell
ash. As the liquid limits and plasticity index keeps getting up, the workability on soil keeps getting less.
The paper studies the results of mixing groundnut shell ash with locally available clay. The result obtained was that
Groundnut shell ash
(Sujatha et al., the moisture content increases. There was a small decrease in the dry density of soil. It was also be combined with
and cement mixed with India
2016) small quantities of cement. Adding cement reduced the plasticity of the soil. Groundnut shell ash is mixed in 0-8%
clay
and cement is added in 0.1%, 0.5% and 1% cement.
The paper uses glass powder and ground nutshell ash to increase the properties of clayey soil and the result is that
an increase in properties has been noticed. MDD has been in soil compacted with GSA slight increases of 2%, and
groundnut shell ash
(Wilson, 2017) India the gradual decline has been noticed. When 6 cents of groundnut Shell ash is added to the soil, the maximum UCC
and glass powder
(unconfined compressive Strength) value noted is 0.756 Kg/cm 2 and CBR (California bearing ratio) value is
10.87%.
In this paper, groundnut shell ash is mixed with clay soil, and on studying the combinations of GSA; one can
(Venkatraman et Groundnut shell ash in conclude that using GSA improves the strength and durability of clay soil. Groundnut shell ash is easily accessible
India
al., 2018) clay soil and also is an environmentally friendly product. Groundnut shell ash is mixed in 5%,10%,15% in clayey soil, and
then the properties are studied based on compaction characteristics and consistency limits
An attempt is made in this paper to study the impact on black soil when mixed with groundnut shell ash. Black soil
Groundnut shell ash is largely found in the Indian subcontinent. Black soil is very beneficial for farming but it is not suitable for
(Ramesh, 2019) India
mixed with black soil engineering and building projects. GSA was added in the range of 0-8% and various tests were performed to check
its durability, permeability, and other characteristics.
(Adetayo & groundnut shell ash Nigeria In this paper, ground Shell ash has been added to the lime stabilized lateritic soil. By collecting three different

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Amu, 2020) (GSA) for lime samples A, B, and C of lateritic soil from different places for testing. The Atterberg limit test has shown that the
stabilized lateritic soil plasticity index has seen a reduction for sample A and sample C when stabilizing with lime. According to the
compaction test, the decrease in maximum dry density is shown, ranging from 1685 kg/m 3 to 1590 kg/m3 for
sample A, for sample B it was 599 kg/m3 to 1512 kg/m3 and 1396 kg/m3 to 1270 kg/m3 for sample C on stabilizing
with lime. Groundnut shell ash has shown in an improvement in the toughness and strength of the lime stabilized
lateritic soil for the construction of highway constructal works.

This study gives a brief idea about the work done by adding the Plaster of Paris in soil. The author has collected and studied the work. So that it will give them clarity about
the work. That might helps them in forming better soil.

Table 2: Usage of Plaster of Paris in soil.

Author
(Kuttah & Sato, 2015)
(Saberian & Rahgozar,
2016)
(Kumar et al., 2017)
(Sugate et al., 2018)
Admixture materials used
Gypsum in subgrade and
sulphate bearing soil
Waste tyre chips, lime, gypsum,
cement mixed with peat soil.
Plastics and gypsum with soil
Fly ash, silica fumes, and
plaster of Paris mixed with soil
Country Findings/Outcomes
The paper helps in finding out how the use of gypsum can improve the engineering
and geotechnical characteristics of weak soil. As the gypsum amount is increased the
swelling properties of soil are reduced. According to this paper, by mixing 6-10%
Sweden gypsum in weak soil can heal the soil. It was found out that by adding 15% to 20%
gypsum to sandy soils and 20% to 25% gypsum to clay soils, one can get the best out
of the soil which was otherwise considered problematic. Engineers must not use the
% amount without working upon the chemical composition of the specific soils.
The results obtained from this paper were that peat soil lacked in cementitious
properties that were below the criteria of 70%. Therefore mixing lime, gypsum, and
Iran
cement would improve durability. It was seen that by mixing lime, silica, gypsum
the properties of peat soil were enhanced as it brought in Si, Ca, Al, O.
An attempt has been made through this paper to know how varying proportions of
plastic fibers and gypsum will affect the soil in attaining soil adjustment properties.
India
For plastics, it is observed that there is an increase in dry density hence, proving that
it enhances black soil.
This research paper has used fly Ash, Silica, and Plaster of Paris and mixed them in
proportions that differ from 8% to 24%, 4% to 8%, and 2% to 6% respectively.
India There was a range of tests done such as Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity
Index amongst a few others. The free swell index test found out that using gypsum as
less as 4% could solve the problem of swelling and shrinking.

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According to this research paper, the soil is mixed with cement, lime, and POP in
Soil mixed with cement, lime, different proportions. It can be used as a base course of pavement material. It was
(Khan et al., 2019) India
POP observed that the peak value created by 28 days of curing period is 2616 kN/m2
which is on 30% pond ash along with 3% alccofine for BSH compaction.
In the study, Sabkha soil, which has been taken from the city of Sohar, Oman, has
been treated with gypsum which has been taken from the Waste plasterboard.
Gypsum has been used in different percentages to treat soil and stabilizer it. The
percentage mentioned in this is 3, 6, 9, and 12. A compaction and unconfined
Waste gypsum from
(Al-Alawi et al., 2020) Oman compression strength (UCS) tests have been used to detect the percentage of gypsum
plasterboard
through which the properties of the sabkha soil might be enhanced which is 6%. The
California bearing ratio test shows a 33.3% rise in the CBR value when 6% of
gypsum is added to the sabkha soil. Hence, the stabilization of sabkha soil was
achieved.

CONCLUSION
After analyzing all the research done on this topic, it is hereby concluded that groundnut shell ash and POP are very suited to be used in different types of soil to improve
their workability and make them more desirable in fields of geotechnical and geomechanical projects.
1. After analyzing, one thing is clear that groundnut Shell ash cannot be put alone in the soil it has to be mixed with another material. The range in which GSA should be used
was almost 0-8% but it may vary in some cases, it is revealed after referring to the papers.
2. According to this review, it is found that mixing 6-10% gypsum in weak soil can heal the soil. It was found out that by adding 15% to 20% gypsum to sandy soils and 20%
to 25% gypsum to clay soils, one can get the best out of the soil which was otherwise considered problematic. The addition of POP will ultimately enhance the durability
along with engineering and geotechnical characteristics of weak soil.
3. All these materials can pave the way for a great demand for these products, one out of which is agricultural waste while the latter one is obtained from mineral compounds
and a very cheap substitute to others.
4. POP is a great option for decreasing the swelling and shrinking problems of soil. Using groundnut shell ash provides strength and durability to such soils.

FUTURE SCOPE
It is a positive area of research and both groundnut shell ash and POP can give better results than ordinary soil for building projects. A lot of studies can still be done and the
correct proportions of groundnut shell ash and POP in different varieties of soil to get the best possible results to pose a great research opportunity. A comprehensive and
well-researched data about the material to be mixed to give the best-desired results can create a surge in demand for these materials.

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