A Review on the Influence of Rock Quarry Dust on Geotechnical Properties of Soil

Rock quarry dust or quarry dust is produced as solid wastes during crushing of rocks to obtain aggregates. This waste product is left in huge heaps in the neighborhood of the quarry causing serious space problems and health hazards. Further, this waste disposal is another problem faced by the industry. Geotechnical characterization of quarry dust and its interaction behavior with soils can lead to a viable/beneficial solution for its large scale utilization and disposal. Past studies clearly indicate that the quarry dust has a beneficial effect on different geotechnical properties of soil. Therefore, the present study attempts to review the findings reported in the literature to reveal the influence of quarry dust on different geotechnical properties of soil. The study discusses the effect of quarry dust on the specific gravity, liquid limit, plastic limit, shrinkage limit, compaction characteristics, California bearing ratio, shear strength unconfined compressive strength, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, permeability, swell strain, swell potential, swell pressure etc. of cohesive soil. The review clearly highlights that quarry dust is a promising geo-material for improving the geotechnical properties of soil.