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Effect of
Effect of industrial wastes and industrial
lime on strength characteristics of wastes

clayey soil
Avinash Bhardwaj and Ravi Kumar Sharma 1749
Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur,
Hamirpur, India Received 30 December 2019
Revised 12 February 2020
Accepted 24 February 2020

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to attempt to use two industrial wastes; waste foundry sands (WFS)
and molasses (M) along with lime (L) to improve the strength characteristics of clayey soil.
Design/methodology/approach – In the first part of the study, the optimum percentages of materials
(WFS, molasses, lime) have been found out by conducting differential free swell (DFS) and consistency limit
tests on clayey soil by adding various admixtures. The second and third part of the study investigates the
compaction behaviour and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of clayey soil on addition of optimum
amount of various materials alone and in combination with each other. Finally, the micro-structural behaviour
of addition of optimum percentages of lime, WFS and molasses using Scanning electron microscopic
technique has been discussed.
Findings – The laboratory results revealed that the addition of optimum content of lime along with WFS
and molasses reduced DFS and plasticity index and increased maximum dry density and UCS values. The
microstructural behaviour showed that the presence of lime and molasses filled the voids present in the soil
and the addition of WFS helped in providing compact structure, thus improving the strength characteristics.
Practical implications – The study will be helpful in designing low-cost pavement designs for rural
roads.
Social implications – The adverse effect of waste materials on environment may be solved by using them
in improving the strength characteristics of clayey soils, thereby providing healthy environment to living
beings.
Originality/value – The study will help to provide low-cost methods to improve strength characteristics
of clayey soil along with the use of waste materials; the disposal of whose is a challenging task.
Keywords Scanning electron microscope, Unconfined compressive strength, Clayey soil, Lime,
Molasses, Waste foundry sand
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
Most of the structures founded over expansive soils experience large settlements because of
the volumetric changes on altering water content (Chen, 2012; Briaud et al., 2003; Aubeny
and Lytton, 2004; Lin and Cerato, 2012). It is difficult to precisely predict these volumetric
changes of the expansive soils because surface physiochemical forces control individual clay
particle. These surface physiochemical forces come in to action because of the infinitesimal
particle size and the diffuse double layer formed around each individual clay particle which
are further responsible for swelling and shrinkage of these soils. Swelling and shrinking
characteristics of the expansive soils damage the structures and cost more than $9bn loss Journal of Engineering, Design
and Technology
every year in the USA alone (Nelson and Miller, 1997; Thomas et al., 2000). A loss of around Vol. 18 No. 6, 2020
pp. 1749-1772
$150m was estimated in the UK alone because of damage to the structures caused by © Emerald Publishing Limited
1726-0531
expansive soils (Gourley et al., 1993). DOI 10.1108/JEDT-12-2019-0350
JEDT A lot of techniques have been used in the past to act as a remedial measure to the
18,6 problems associated with expansive soils (Hunter, 1988; Petry and Little, 1992; Acosta et al.,
2003; Hoyos et al., 2004). Soil stabilization is the process of improving the engineering and
index properties of poor soils (Kolias et al., 2005; Harichane et al., 2011). Numerous research
studies have been conducted in the past to stabilize expansive soils by using various
materials and admixtures (Katti, 1978; Estabragh et al., 2013; Bozbey and Garaisayev, 2010;
1750 Sharma and Hymavathi, 2016; Guney et al., 2006; Taye and Araya, 2015; Sharma and
Sharma, 2019).
Lime is one of the oldest construction materials known to man which has been used for
binding purposes. Sherwood (1993) revealed that lime primarily contains calcium oxide
and hydroxide as its constituents and provides strength to soil by cation exchange
process. Hilt and Davidson (1960) and Eades and Grim (1966) described that the point at
which lime gives its maximum benefits to the soil is referred as the lime fixation point.
Thompson (1969a); Brandl (1981) reported that lime fixation point generally varies
between 3 and 10 per cent (depending on soil type). Thompson, 1969b; Miller et al., 1970;
Tulloch et al., 1970 found that a substantial tensile strength needs to be developed in soil–
lime blends. Sharma et al. (2008) revealed that the addition of 4 per cent lime and 12 per
cent rice husk ash in expansive soil improved the stress–strain behaviour and CBR value
of the composite by 127 per cent and 191 per cent, respectively. Al-Mukhtar et al. (2010)
proposed that for a short-term reaction, 5 per cent lime content is sufficient for reducing
plasticity and swelling. By using X-ray diffraction analyses for samples having lime
percentage more than 6 per cent, calcium aluminate hydrate (CAH) identified resulting
from pozzolanic reaction. Bozbey and Garaisayev (2010) used locally available highly
expansive soil to find the effect of lime on its geotechnical properties and reported that
addition of lime improved the workability, swelling and compressibility of the highly
expansive soil. Ali and Zafar (2011) described that the inclusion of lime in two highly
plastic clays showed reduction in plasticity, dispersion, shrinkage and swell potential of
the composite, and the increase in CBR of the clayey soil was directly proportional to the
quantity of lime (up to 10 per cent only). Estabragh et al. (2013) demonstrated the effect of
lime, cement and coal ash on physical and mechanical characteristics of expansive soil
and revealed that the soil–lime mixture decreased the plasticity index, maximum dry
density (MDD) and increased the shrinkage limit and optimum moisture content (OMC).
Sharma and Hymavathi (2016) found that blending of 4 per cent commercial lime and
expansive soil decreased the differential free swell (DFS) of clayey soil to zero and
increased the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of clayey soil. Lopez-Lara et al.
(2017) reported that the expansive soil treated with 6 per cent lime reduces the soil
swelling without putting any surcharge over the expansive soil. Kumar et al. (2018)
demonstrated the effect of inclusion of lime in varying proportions from 0 to 25 per cent
on Jamshoro soil and revealed that the UCS and CBR values increased with increasing
percentage of lime up to 5 per cent.
Waste foundry sand (WFS) is a waste of foundry industries, which finds no use
elsewhere. After casting is over, the sand is discarded and is not recommended for reuse
(Basar and Aksoy, 2013). This is a classified Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
hazardous waste and currently dumped in open because of ineffective regulations in India. If
this waste could be used in stabilization of expansive soils, then the problem of its disposal
may be solved besides improving the environment. In recent years, many efforts have been
made to use WFS as a construction material. Retaining structures and highway bases (Kirk,
1998; Mast and Fox, 1998), pavement bases (Guney et al., 2006) and asphalt concrete (Javed
and Lovell, 1995) are various areas where WFS is found to be suitable as a construction
material. Guney et al. (2006) performed CBR, UCS and permeability tests on soil-WFS Effect of
composites and reported that WFS gives good strength to soil and can be used as a industrial
component part of subgrade in pavement. Mgangira and Jones (2006) described that WFS
has good properties which can alter the properties of poorly graded soil to those of well
wastes
graded soil. Dong et al. (2013) blended WFS in waste heavy clay and reported that with the
increase in proportion of foundry sand, the plasticity and cohesion decreased. The mixtures
of clay and foundry sand can be used as suitable construction fill material with sand content
up to 66 per cent. Kumar et al. (2016) concluded that the effect of addition of WFS on 1751
compaction, UCS and CBR characteristics of clayey soil possessing medium plasticity was
studied, and it was revealed that addition of 40 per cent WFS attained higher MDD, UCS and
CBR than any other composite. Bekki et al. (2019) used green foundry sands in road bases
with lime and found that for optimum content of lime (2 per cent) with WFS there was an
increase in CBR value. de Souza Campelo et al. (2019) blended foundry sand with Portland
cement in proportions of 25-100 per cent and proved its efficacy to be used as filler in asphalt
mixtures.
Soil stabilization using enzymes is yet another mode of improving the strength of clayey
soil having poor geotechnical properties. Enzymes are more economical when compared
with other soil stabilization materials as the amount of enzyme required for modification of
soil is very less (Scholen, 1995; Shankar et al., 2009; Tingle et al., 2007). Various enzymes
such as terrazyme, permazyme, molasses, earthzyme, eko soil have been used in the past to
improve the low strength of poor soils (Vedula et al., 2002; Eujine et al., 2017; Baby et al.,
2016; Bergmann, 2000; Isaac et al., 2003; Rauch et al., 2003; Pooni et al., 2019). Molasses is a
by-product of sugar cane and is obtained from cane sugar industry. Owing to high demand
and production of sugar, molasses is produced in bulk and because of its detrimental nature,
it creates dumping problems in the adjoining areas of the cane sugar industry. A few
research studies have been carried out on the use of molasses as an additive in soil
stabilization (Suriadi et al., 2002; M’Ndegwa, 2011; Taye and Araya, 2015). Suriadi et al.
(2002) treated Burdekin sandy clay loam and Proserpine loamy sand with molasses alone
and with gypsum to modify their structural strength and observed that structural stability
of both the soils improved by decreasing dispersion and/or slaking. Shirsavkar and Koranne
(2010) described the effect of molasses on soft murum soil and concluded that use of
molasses is economical in road construction. M’Ndegwa (2011) stabilized expansive soil with
sugar cane molasses and reported that 8 per cent cane molasses enhanced the strength of
clayey soil. M’Ndegwa and Shitote (2012) showed that addition of sugar cane molasses (up
to 8 per cent only) in to expansive soil reduced the plasticity index of the expansive soil from
39 per cent to 26 per cent. The addition of 4 per cent molasses to soil cement blend decreased
plasticity of the composite from 53 per cent to 19 per cent and increased the CBR value from
1 to 64 per cent (Taye and Araya, 2015). Mahendran and Vignesh (2016) stabilized red soil
with molasses, cement and hypo sludge and identified that mix M9 with 5 per cent molasses
and 10 per cent hypo sludge waste showed the maximum UCS value. Prudhvi and Rao
(2017) studied the effect of addition of molasses and lime to silt clay soil and revealed that
the cohesion value and friction angle of soil increased from 0.25 to 0.6 and 90 to 190,
respectively. It was also concluded that to attain optimum strength, the percentage of
molasses and lime should be in the range of 7-10 per cent. Vinodhkumar et al. (2018)
performed liquid limit, plastic limit and UCS tests on clayey soil blended with molasses with
varying percentages and reported that an increase in the UCS value up to 160 per cent with
10 per cent molasses content and suggested that use of molasses should be more efficient in
subgrade modifications and other geotechnical applications. Kiran et al. (2018) conducted an
experimental study on black cotton soil with molasses and areca nut fibers and reported that
JEDT with 8 per cent content of molasses consistency limits improved. Specimens of black cotton
18,6 soil blended with 10 per cent molasses and 4 per cent areca nut fibers soaked for 4 days
curing period observed the maximum CBR value.
From the previous research studies, it can be established that strength of expansive soil can
be increased by incorporating lime, WFS and molasses. Very limited research has been
conducted on combinations of lime–waste foundry sand. There has been no study carried out
1752 in the past on the strength characteristics of clayey soils using combination of lime, WFS and
molasses. Keeping in view the research gap, this study is focused on to evaluate the effect of
these materials by varying their percentages on geotechnical properties of expansive soil.

2. Materials
2.1 Soil
The soil used in the present study was procured from village Jukhala, district Bilaspur,
Himachal Pradesh. The soil was taken from a depth of about 1-1.5 m below the natural
ground surface so as to avoid any organic impurities. The soil was packed in sealed bags
and was transported to geotechnical engineering laboratory, NIT Hamirpur. The soil was
dried by using natural sunlight, and after completely drying, it was pulverized by using a
pulverizer. The pulverized soil was again sealed in air-tight bags so as to avoid the entry of
natural moisture. Suitable American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards
and relevant Indian standards have been followed to determine the various physical
properties of soil. According to Unified Soil Classification System, the soil has been
classified as clayey soil of high plasticity (CH). The gradation curve of the clayey soil was
obtained after performing wet sieve analysis and hydrometer analysis according to ASTM
D6913-04 and ASTM D422-63 respectively. From the gradation curve analysis, it was
revealed that about 29 per cent particles pass through 0.002 mm sieve and 94 per cent
particles pass through 0.075 mm sieve (Figure 1). The activity of the soil is 1.20 which shows
that soil is expansive in nature containing expansive minerals. The scanning electronic
microscopic (SEM) image of clayey soil revealed that there was cohesion existence between
soil particles with formation of plate-like structures (Figure 22). The various geotechnical
properties and minerals of clayey soil used in the present study are tabulated in Table I and
Table II, respectively.

100

90 Clay
WFS
80

70
Percentage finer (%)

60

50

40

30

20

10
Figure 1.
Particle size curve for 0
different materials 0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
Particle size (mm)
2.2 Lime Effect of
Lime is derived from lime stone has been widely used in civil engineering practices. The lime industrial
used in the present study was in powdered form and has been brought from local hardware
shop in district Hamirpur. The chemical composition of lime has been presented in Table III.
wastes

2.3 Waste foundry sand

WFS is a by-product of metal and non-metal casting industry and has been obtained from 1753
Shakti Foundries, Ludhiana (Punjab). The various chemical and geotechnical properties of
WFS have been tabulated in Table IV and V.

2.4 Molasses
Molasses is a by-product of sugarcane industry and is dark brown in colour having viscous
nature it contains contents of some organic and resinous materials which make it unfit for
human consumption. During the processing of sugar, lime and sulphur dioxide are mainly
added as clarification agents. Once the crystallization is started these agents remain in
molasses and if this molasses is used in stabilization of clayey soil, it may influence the
characteristics of soil. The molasses used in the present study has been brought from
Budhewal Co-Operative Sugar Mill Ltd., Ludhiana (Punjab). The chemical properties of
molasses have been tabulated in Table VI.

3. Results and discussions

3.1 Differential free swell
The DFS index of clayey soil and clay mixed with various additives in combination has been
shown in Figures 2-4. The DFS value of clayey soil was obtained as 35 per cent. With the

Soil properties Value

Soil type CH
Activity 1.20
Liquid limit 55%
Plastic limit 20%
Plasticity index 35%
Table I.
DFS index 35%
Specific gravity 2.6 Geotechnical
Optimum moisture content 16.5% properties of clayey
MDD 1.71g/cc soil used in present
UCS 516 kPa study

Mineral composition Content (%)

Oxygen, O 45.4
Silicon, Si 18.5
Aluminium, Al 8.69
Carbon, C 10.9
Iron, Fe 1.42 Table II.
Potassium, K 1.86 Mineral composition
Magnesium, Mg 2.30 of clayey soil used in
Titanium, Ti 2.51 present study
JEDT
18,6 Chemical composition Content (%)

SiO2 45.4
Al2O3 18.5
Fe2O3 8.69
CaO 10.9
1754 MgO 1.42
SO3 1.86
Na2O 2.30
Table III. K2O 2.51
Chemical TiO2 2.10
composition of lime P2O3 0.82
used Loss of ignition 5.36

Chemical composition (%)

SiO2 84.90
Al2O3 5.21
Fe2O3 3.32
CaO 0.58
MgO 0.67
SO3 0.29
MnO 0.08
TiO2 0.19
K2O 0.97
Table IV. P2O5 0.05
Chemical properties Na2O 0.50
of WFS Loss of ignition 2.87

Property Value
Table V. Specific gravity 2.64
Geotechnical OMC 8.20 %
properties of WFS MDD 1.59 g/cc

Constituents Result

Color Black
Brix 83.2
pH (1:1 at 20°C) 5.6
Specific gravity 1.39
Viscosity 17500 mPa-s
Moisture 21.76%
Total sugar 47.83%
Table VI. Invert sugar 10.20%
Chemical properties Sulphated sugar 15.50%
of molasses used Ca 1.63%
increasing content of lime, WFS and molasses, there was a reduction in DFS value. The Effect of
addition of 9 per cent lime reduced the DFS value to 0; beyond 9 per cent increase in lime industrial
content to clayey soil the DFS value again started increasing. The decrease in DFS value on
addition of lime may be attributed to the substitution of other cations by calcium which is
wastes
present in lime (Bozbey and Garaisayev, 2010; Estabragh et al., 2013). On adding WFS up to
20 per cent to clayey soil, the DFS value reduced to 0; the further increment of WFS to clayey
soil did not show any change to DFS value and it remained zero. The reduction in DFS value
on addition of WFS may be attributed to the increased content of coarser particles
1755
(responsible for reduction in surface activity) in clayey soil (Kale et al., 2019; Dong et al.,
2013). The addition of 10 per cent molasses to clayey soil reduced the DFS value to 0 and
further increment of molasses to clayey soil did not affect the DFS value. The decrease in
DFS value of soil on adding molasses may be because of the presence of cementious
compounds such as calcium silicate hydrates (O’Flaherty, 1974).

3.2 Consistency limits

The liquid limit and plasticity index of clayey soils have been found to be 55 and 35 per cent,
respectively. Both the values lie in the range of clay of high plasticity (CH), as shown in

45

30
DFS (%)

15
Figure 2.
0 DFS of lime-mixed
0 3 6 9 12 15
soil
Percentage (%) of lime

45

30
DFS (%)

15

Figure 3.
0 DFS of WFS-mixed
0 20 40 60
soil
Percentage (%) of WFS

45

30
DFS (%)

15
Figure 4.
0 DFS of molasses-
0 10 20 30 mixed soil
Percentage (%) of molasses
JEDT plasticity index chart (Figure 5). This means that soil needs to be stabilized before it can be
18,6 used in any civil engineering application. The stabilization of clayey soil has been achieved
by adding lime, WFS and molasses in varying percentages alone and in combination to each
other. It may be observed from Figure 3 that initially the soil was lying in the range of high
plastic clay. The addition of lime, WFS and molasses to clayey soil changed its classification
from CH to CI and MI category. On adding these wastes and admixtures in combination to
1756 each other to clayey soil, its behaviour changed further from CH to CL and ML category.
The addition of 3, 6, 9 and 12 per cent lime in clayey soil decreased the liquid limit and
increased the plastic limit of the composite thus resulting a decrease in plasticity of the
composite (Figure 6). This reduction in liquid limit may be due to the release of Caþ ions into
pore fluid which leads to an increase in the electrolyte absorption of pore water. This process
decreases the thickness of diffuse double layer and lowers the liquid limit. The increase in
plastic limit may be because of the increased viscosity of the pore fluid resulting an increase
in inter-particle shear resistance and hence increasing the plastic limit. The similar
behaviour in lime-stabilized soils has been experienced in the past (Nalbantoglu, 2006;
Bozbey and Garaisayev, 2010; Harichane et al., 2011). The addition of 10, 20, 30 and 40 per
cent WFS in clayey soil decreased both liquid and plastic limit of the composite (Figure 7).
There was a decrease in plasticity index on increasing WFS content from 10 to 20 per cent;

60
C:: 100

50 C:L:: 91:9

C:WFS:: 80:20
40 C:M:: 90:10 CH
Plasticity Index (%)

C:L:WFS:: 71:9:20
30 C:L:M:: 81:9:10 CI
C:L:WFS:M:: 61:9:20:10
20 MH or
OH
CL
Figure 5.
10
Plasticity chart MI or
CL or ML OI
showing clayey soil ML or
ML OL
and lime-WFS- 0
molasses-mixed soil 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Liquid Limit (%)

60
Consistency limits (%)

45

30
Liquid limit
Plastic limit
Plasticity index
15

Figure 6. 0
Consistency limit
tests for lime-
mixed soil
Combinations of soil-lime
 60
Liquid limit Effect of
Plasticity index
Plastic limit industrial
45 wastes

Consistency limits (%)

30

15 1757

0
Figure 7.
Consistency limit
tests for WFS-
mixed soil
Combinations of soil- WFS

the further addition of WFS beyond 20 per cent did not show any change in plasticity index
and, hence, 20 per cent WFS content may be selected as optimum content for soil
stabilization. The reduction in both the limits may be because of the addition of coarser
material to clayey soil. A similar reduction in liquid and plastic limit on addition of WFS to
clayey soil has been observed (Dong et al., 2013; Jain et al., 2015; Kale et al., 2019). On adding
5, 10 , 15 and 20 per cent molasses to clayey soil, both liquid limit and plastic limit decreased
(Figure 8) which ultimately reduced the plasticity index. The addition of molasses beyond 10
per cent did not show much reduction in plasticity index and hence may be considered as
optimum content for soil stabilization. The decrease in consistency limits on adding
molasses may be due to the fact that the cation exchange process in molasses–soil mixture
causes reduction of diffuse double layer thickness which ultimately causes flocculation of
the clay particles. Further, there is reduction of adsorbed water in clay particles due to the
flocculation which results in lowering the liquid limit. The similar behaviour of molasses
stabilized soil has been experienced by few researchers in past (M’Ndegwa and Shitote,
2012; Taye and Araya, 2015; Kiran et al., 2018; Vinodhkumar et al., 2018). The combined
action of WFS (in varying percentages of 10, 20, 30 and 40 per cent) and lime (9 per cent,
decided on the basis of DFS test) decreased both liquid and plastic limit of the composite
(Figure 9). The plasticity index of the composite decreased on adding WFS content up to 20
per cent in clayey soil containing 9 per cent lime and thereafter there was not much change

60
Liquid limit
Plasticity index
Consistency limits (%)

45 Plastic limit

30

15

0 Figure 8.
Consistency limit
tests for molasses-
mixed soil
Combinations of soil-molasses
JEDT 45
18,6

Consistency limits (%)

30

Liquid limit
Plastic limit
15 Plasticity index

1758
0
Figure 9.
Consistency limit
tests for lime-WFS-
mixed soil
Combinations of soil-lime-WFS

in plasticity index value and hence C: L: WFS in ratio of 71: 9: 20 may be selected as
optimum mix for soil stabilization. This may be owing to the fact that the addition of WFS
and lime in combination to clayey soil decreased the thickness of double diffused layer
which ultimately decreased the plasticity index of the composite. The addition of varying
content of molasses from 5 to 20 per cent along with 9 per cent lime to clayey soil decreased
both liquid and plastic limits (Figure 10). There was a reduction in plasticity index of the
composite on adding molasses up to 10 per cent in lime stabilized clayey mixture and further
addition of molasses beyond 10 per cent to lime stabilized clayey soil did not show higher
change in plasticity index and hence the mixture of C: L: M in ratio 81:9:10 may be
considered as optimum for soil stabilization. The further addition of varying content of
molasses (5, 10, 15 and 20 per cent) in C:L:WFS:71:9:20 mixture [obtained from (Figure 9)]
decreased both liquid and plastic limit of the overall composite (Figure 11). The plasticity
index of the composite decreased rapidly on adding molasses up to 10 per cent in C: L: WFS
mixture and further increasing the molasses content beyond 10 per cent showed very less
change in plasticity index of the composite and hence 10 per cent molasses may be taken as
optimum content for stabilizing clayey soil along with optimum content of lime (9 per cent)
and WFS (20 per cent).

Liquid limit
45
Plastic limit
Consistency limits (%)

Plasticity index

30

15

Figure 10.
Consistency limit
tests for lime-
molasses-mixed soil
Combinations of soil-lime-molasses
 45
Liquid limit Effect of
Plastic limit industrial

Consistency limits (%)

Plasticity index
30
wastes

15
1759

Figure 11.
Consistency limit
tests for lime-WFS-
molasses-mixed soil
Combinations of soil-lime-WFS-molasses

3.3 Compaction test

The OMC and MDD of clayey soil were obtained as 16.5 per cent and 1.71 g/cc,
respectively. On adding lime in varying percentages of 3, 6, 9 and 12 per cent in clayey
soil, there was an increase in OMC value from 16 to 18 per cent, and the MDD value was
found to be decreased from 1.71 to 1.58 g/cc (Figure 12). The reason for the increase in
OMC may be owing to the pozzolanic reaction between clay fraction of clayey soil and
lime; the further decrease in MDD may be because of the aggregation of particles to
occupy larger spaces. The other reason of reduction in MDD of lime stabilized clayey soil
may be lesser specific gravity of lime as compared to that of clayey soil. Similar behaviour
has been observed in past by few researchers for lime stabilized soils (Rahman, 1986;
Manasseh and Olufemi, 2008; Sharma and Hymavathi, 2016).
On adding WFS in varying percentages of 10-40 per cent in clayey soil, there was an
increase in OMC and MDD from 16 to 18.3 per cent and 1.71 to 1.84 g/cc, respectively
(Figure 13). The increase in MDD value of clayey soil on increasing WFS content may
be due to the larger surface area of WFS particles than clayey soil. Further increase in
MDD value of C:WFS mixture may be due the higher specific gravity of WFS than that
of clay. The increase in OMC value of C:WFS mixture may be attributed to the fact that
the presence of bentonite (rich in montmorillonite mineral) in WFS increases water
holding capacity. Similar behaviour has been also observed in past by few researchers

19 1.80
OMC
MDD
1.75
18
1.70
OMC (%)

MDD (g/cm3)

17 1.65

1.60
16
1.55
Figure 12.
15 1.50 Variation of OMC and
0 3 6 9 12
MDD with lime
Lime content, L (%)
JEDT 19
OMC 1.85
18,6 MDD

18 1.8

OMC (%)
1.75

MDD (g/cm3)
17
1.7
1760
16
1.65
Figure 13.
Variation of OMC and 15 1.6
0 10 20 30 40
MDD with WFS
Waste foundry sand, WFS (%)

on addition of WFS to clayey soil (Kumar et al., 2016; Mgangira and Jones, 2006). On
adding molasses in varying percentages of 5-20 per cent in clayey soil, there was a
decrease in OMC from 16 to 10 per cent, and the MDD value was found to be increased
from 1.71 to 1.84 g/cc (Figure 14). The improvement in dry density may be because of
the fact that negative charged clay particles attract towards molasses as it is positively
charged and molasses has also adhesive properties which bind the soil particles. The
reduction in optimum moisture content on adding molasses may be owing to the
transition of fine particles to coarse particles resulting lower void ratio. Similar results
have been observed on addition of molasses to clayey soil (Shirsavkar and Koranne,
2010; Taye and Araya, 2015). The combined action of WFS (in varying percentages of
10-40 per cent) and optimum lime content (9 per cent) in clayey soil increased both OMC
and MDD of the composite from 17.7 to 22 per cent and 1.61 to 1.80 g/cc, respectively
(Figure 15). The increase in OMC value may be attributed to the pozzolanic reaction
(occurring among clay and lime) and presence of bentonite (present in WFS). The
further increase in MDD value on adding lime and WFS to clayey soil may be because
of the higher specific gravity of clay–WFS mixture. There was a decrease in OMC value
from 17.7 to 11.8 per cent and increase in MDD value from 1.61 to 1.78 g/cc on adding
varying content of molasses (5-20 per cent) in C:L: 91: 9 mixture (Figure 16). The
reduction in OMC value on adding molasses and lime together to clayey soil may be
because of the transition of finer particles to coarser particles resulting in lesser void
ratio. The increase in MDD value on adding molasses and lime together to clayey soil

17 1.84
OMC
MDD

1.8
14
MDD (g/cm3)
OMC (%)

1.76

11
1.72

Figure 14.
Variation of OMC and 8 1.68
MDD with molasses 0 5 10 15 20
Molasses content, M (%)
may be due to the adhesive nature of molasses which holds together clay and lime Effect of
particles. A similar trend of increase in UCS value on addition of optimum content of industrial
molasses and lime in clayey soil has been reported in the past (Prudhvi and Rao, 2017).
wastes
The further addition of molasses (5, 10, 15 and 20 per cent) in C:L:WFS::71:9:20 mixture
decreased the OMC value from 20.4 to 16.8 per cent and increased MDD value from 1.70
to 1.84 g/cc of the overall composite (Figure 17). The decrease in OMC value on adding
molasses to C:L:WFS mixture may be because of the coarser nature of WFS and 1761
molasses; the increase in MDD value on adding molasses to C:L:WFS mixture may be
due to the higher specific gravity of WFS and the adhesive nature of molasses.

24 1.82
OMC
MDD
22 1.74

MDD (g/cm3)
OMC (%)

20 1.66

Figure 15.
18 1.58
Variation of OMC and
MDD by keeping lime
16 1.5 constant (9 per cent)
0 10 20 30 40
and varying WFS
Waste foundry sand content, WFS (%)

20 1.8
OMC
MDD
18 1.76
MDD (g/cm3)
OMC (%)

16 1.72

14 1.68
Figure 16.
12 1.64 Variation of OMC and
MDD by keeping lime
10 1.6 constant (9 per cent)
0 5 10 15 20 and varying molasses
Molasses content, M (%)

22 1.88
OMC
MDD
1.84
20
MDD (g/cm3)
OMC (%)

1.8
18
Figure 17.
1.76
Variation of OMC and
16
1.72 MDD by keeping lime
(9 per cent) and WFS
14 1.68 (20 per cent) constant
0 5 10 15 20 and varying molasses
Molasses content, M (%)
JEDT 3.4 Unconfined compressive strength tests
18,6 To find effect of various admixtures on strength characteristics of clayey soil, UCS tests
were conducted on clayey soil alone and various mixes of lime, WFS and molasses in
accordance with ASTM D2166-16. The UCS value of clayey soil after 28 days was obtained
as 516 kPa (Figure 20). On adding 9 per cent lime, 20 per cent WFS and 10 per cent molasses
alone to clayey soil, the UCS of the composite after curing period of 28 days increased to 724,
1762 656 and 622 kPa, respectively (Figure 7). The combined action of optimum contents of
various wastes and admixtures was further studied to check their effect on unconfined
compressive strength. It was revealed that on adding lime and WFS in combination to
clayey soil in optimum amount (C:L:WFS::71:9:20), the UCS value after a curing period of
28 days attained was 822 kPa; on adding lime and molasses in combination to clayey soil in
optimum amount (C:L:M::81:9:10), the UCS value attained was 766KPa; and finally on
adding lime, WFS and molasses all together in clayey soil in optimum amount (C:L:WFS:
M::61:9:20:10), the highest value of UCS was obtained as 896 kPa.
A similar trend of increase in UCS value on addition of optimum content of lime in clayey
soil was reported in the past (Sharma et al., 2008; Bozbey and Garaisayev, 2010). The
increase in UCS value on addition of lime may be because of the transition of small-sized

600

400
Stress (kPa)

200
C:L:WFS:M:: 61:9:20:10 C:L:: 91:9
Figure 18. C:L:WFS:: 71:9:20 C:WFS:: 80:20
Stress–strain curves C:L:M:: 81:9:10 C:M:: 90:10
for three-days curing 0
C:: 100
period 0 3 6 9
Strain (%)

800

600
Stress (kPa)

400

200 C:L:M:WFS:: 61:9:20:10 C:L:: 91:9

Figure 19. C:L:WFS:: 71:9:20 C:WFS:: 80:20
Stress–strain curves C:L:M:: 81:9:10 C:M:: 90:10
for seven days curing C:: 100
0
period 0 3 6 9
Strain (%)
 1,000
Effect of
industrial
800
wastes
Stress (kPa)

600

400 1763
C:L:WFS:M:: 61:9:20:10 C:L:: 91:9
200
C:L:WFS:: 71:9:20 C:WFS:: 80:20
Figure 20.
C:L:M:: 81:9:10 C:M:: 90:10 Stress–strain curves
C: 100 for 28 days curing
0
0 3 6 9 period
Strain (%)

1,000

800

600
UCS (kPa)

400

200 C:L:WFS:M:: 61:9:20:10 C:L:: 91:9

C:L:WFS:: 71:9:20 C:WFS:: 80:20
C:L:M:: 81:9:10 C:M:: 90:10
C:: 100 Figure 21.
0 UCS of clayey soil
0 7 14 21 28 with different mixes
Curing Period (Days)

particles into large-sized particles which causes various chemical reactions such as cation
exchange, pozzolanic reaction and cementation. These large-sized particles resist more
compressive load than untreated small-sized particles of clayey soil. The past studied
carried out on addition of WFS to poor soils showed an improvement in strength
characteristics of clayey soil (Kumar et al., 2016). The increase in UCS value on adding WFS
may be because of the compact structure and densification caused by WFS. A similar trend
of increase in UCS value on addition of optimum content of molasses in clayey soil has been
reported in the past (Vinodhkumar et al., 2018). The addition of 8 per cent molasses in clayey
soil revealed an increase in UCS value (Taye and Araya, 2015; Kiran et al., 2018). This may
be attributed to the fact that the addition of molasses in clayey soil attracts negatively
charged fine clay particles (as molasses is positively charged) and bound fine clay particles
thus converting them to coarse particles and hence resisting higher compressive loads. The
increase in UCS of C:L:M mixes may be attributed to the fact that on adding molasses to
clayey soil treated with lime, the molasses attach to the clay substrate, alters clay molecule,
and later reattaches itself from the modified clay by returning to its original form after the
reaction is complete. Further the cation bonds may be formed at an accelerated rate,
JEDT bringing about an increase in strength in shorter duration. The similar behaviour of increase
18,6 in strength characteristics was obtained in the past by few researchers (Pfeiffer, 1954; Sol-
Sánchez et al., 2016).
The effect of curing period on UCS values of various combinations was further studied
and it was revealed that on increasing the curing period from 1 to 7 and then to 28 days, the
UCS values of all the composites increased. For C:L:WFS::71:9:20 mixture, a percentage
1764 increase of 42 and 112 per cent was noticed when curing period was increased from 1 to 7
and 28 days, respectively; for C:L:M::81:9:10 mixture, a percentage increase of 44 and 108 per
cent was noticed when curing period was increased from 1 to 7 and 28 days, respectively;
and for C:L:WFS:M:: 61:9:20:10 mixture, a percentage increase of 30 and 90 per cent was
noticed when curing period was increased from 1 to 7 and 28 days, respectively.

3.5 Microstructure
The SEM technique was used to study the variation in the structure of the clayey soil on
addition of various additives. The SEM image of the clayey soil shows the presence of
plate-like structures with large number of voids present in it as shown in Figure 22. On
adding lime to the clayey soil in optimum amount of 9 per cent, there is a decrease in void
ratio as the finer particles of lime help to fill the voids thus giving denser and thread like
structure (Figure 23), thereby resulting in higher strength of the composite. The addition
of optimum content (20 per cent) of waste foundry sand to clayey soil gives a compact
structure (Figure 24), thus helping in increasing the strength of the composite formed.
The addition of molasses in optimum amount (10 per cent) to clayey soil reveals a
formation of jelly like structure (Figure 25). On adding molasses to clayey soil, the voids
present in clayey soil gets filled which in turn causes some increase in the strength of the
composite. The effect of addition of lime and molasses to clay is shown in Figure 26. The
SEM image of clay-lime-molasses composite indicates homogeneous and more compact
structure as compared to that of clay-molasses or clay-lime composites. The effect adding
both lime and WFS is shown in Figure 26 which reveals more compact structure
compared to that of clay–WFS or clay–lime composites. When all the three additives;

Figure 22.
SEM of clay
 Effect of
industrial
wastes

1765

Figure 23.
SEM of clay-lime

Figure 24.
SEM of clay-WFS

lime, WFS and molasses are mixed with clay; dense micro-structure is obtained as shown
in Figure 27. Thus, it can be established that lime, WFS and molasses mixed with clay in
optimum proportion yield composite possessing higher strength and dense structure;
thereby improving the geotechnical characteristics of clayey soil.

4. Conclusions
The effectiveness of lime as a binder, WFS as an industrial waste and molasses as an
enzyme were studied in order to improve the geotechnical properties of clayey soil. The
major conclusions drawn from the present study are as follows:
JEDT
18,6

1766

Figure 25.
SEM of clay-molasses

Figure 26.
SEM of clay-lime-
molasses

 The differential swell index of the clayey soil decreases on adding an optimum amount
of lime (9 per cent) and then it again starts increasing. Increasing the percentage of WFS
and molasses to clayey soil reduces the differential swell index and reaches to zero with
the addition of 20 per cent WFS and 10 per cent molasses, respectively.
 The addition of lime, WFS and molasses alone and in combination to each other
decreases the plasticity index of the clayey soil. The addition of 9 per cent lime, 20
per cent WFS and 10 per cent molasses is found to be satisfactory to improve the
workability of the clayey soil.
 Effect of
industrial
wastes

1767

Figure 27.
SEM of clay-lime-
WFS

Figure 28.
SEM of clay-lime-
WFS-molasses

 The addition of lime and WFS to clayey soil increases optimum moisture content
whereas the addition of molasses to clayey soil decreases optimum moisture content
of the composite. The maximum dry density of the clayey soil increases on adding
optimum content of WFS and molasses. However, there is a decrease in the
maximum dry density on adding lime to clayey soil.
 Both the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content increases on adding
WFS to an optimum mix of C:L::91:9. There is an increase in maximum dry density
and a decrease in optimum moisture content on adding molasses to an optimum mix
of C:L::91::9. On adding molasses to optimum mix of C:L:WFS::71:9:20, there is an
increase in optimum moisture content and a decrease in maximum dry density.
 The UCS of the clayey soil increases on adding lime, WFS and molasses to clayey
soil alone and in combination to each other. The maximum value of UCS is noticed
for C:L:WFS:M::61:9:20:10 followed by C:L:WFS::71:9:20 and C:L:M::81:9:10.
JEDT  The addition of lime to clayey soil binds the clay particles together thus improving the
18,6 strength. The addition of WFS and molasses fills the voids between the clay particles
rendering a compact composite thus improving the strength characteristics.
 During lime stabilization, the formation of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and CAH
gels as a result of pozzolanic reaction and their subsequent crystallization to bind
the structure together takes place after few days of lime addition only. But when the
1768 molasses is mixed with lime, the formation of CSH and CAH gels may be formed at
an accelerated rate, bringing about an increase in strength in shorter duration.
 With the addition of lime–WFS to clayey soil a more compact and dense structure is
obtained as compared to the composite of clay-lime-molasses. On adding all the
three additives in optimum proportion a composite possessing higher strength and
dense structure is observed and the geotechnical characteristics of clayey soil are
improved which make it suitable as a foundation material.

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Further reading
ASTM D2166-16 (2006), Standard Test Methods for Unconfined Compressive Strength Test for Soils,
American Society for Testing of Materials, PA.
ASTM D422-63 (2007), Standard Test Methods for Hydrometer Analysis of Soils, American Society for
Testing of Materials, PA.
ASTM D4318-10 (2000), Standard Test Methods for Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index of
Soils, American Society for Testing of Materials, PA.
ASTMD 6913-04 (2009), Standard Test Methods for Particle Size Distribution of Soils, American Society
for Testing of Materials, PA.
ASTM D698-07 (2000), Standard Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Characteristics of Soil Using
Standard Effort, American Society for Testing of Materials, PA.
IS:2720- 40 (1977), “Determination of free swell index of soils”, Indian Standard Methods of Test for
Soils, BSI, New Delhi.
Petry, T.M. and Little, D.N., (2002), “Review of stabilization of clays and expansive soils in pavements
and lightly loaded structures – history, practice, and future”, Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 447-460.
JEDT About the authors
18,6 Avinash Bhardwaj has obtained MTech in Geotechnical Engineering from GNDEC, Ludhiana
(Punjab). He is currently pursuing his PhD from NIT, Hamirpur. His research work includes soil
stabilization using waste materials, slope stability analysis and new foundation practices over
expansive soils. Avinash Bhardwaj is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: avinash@
nith.ac.in
Professor Ravi Kumar Sharma has obtained PhD from University of Roorkee (now IIT, Roorkee).
1772 He is peer reviewer for many international and national journals. He has published in more than 100
reputed journals and conferences. He is currently working in the field of soil stabilization using waste
materials slope stability analysis, landslide hazard and new foundation practices over expansive
soils.

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