Effects of Natural-Zeolite Additive on Mechanical and Physicochemical Properties of Clayey Soils
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 10
Abstract
Modifying oil behavior with the help of additives is a superficial and deep soil improvement method. The considerable geological distribution of different types of pozzolanic materials, especially of zeolite in Iran, on the one hand, and the unique characteristics of these materials on the other, have caused this type of additive to be of interest to geotechnical engineers. In this study, in order to investigate the effect of zeolite on sandy clay soil and clayey sand soil, a set of tests including Atterberg limits, modified compaction, uniaxial compressive strength, and direct shear tests have been conducted. Further, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been performed to investigate the microstructure of stabilized and nonstabilized soil. The results indicated changes in Atterberg limits, internal friction angle, and maximum dry unit weight in response to alteration of the additive percentage. Further, changes in the zeolite percentage and curing time led to altered uniaxial strength of soil. With the increase in the percentage of zeolite and lengthening the curing time, the uniaxial compressive strength of samples increased, with the uniaxial compressive strength in clayey sand and sandy clay soil growing by 4 and 2.5 times the initial strength of soil, respectively. Thus, the effect of these additives is more considerable on clayey sand soil. In addition, the strength parameters of soil (including cohesion and internal friction angle) improved in response to adding zeolite. The maximum increase in the internal friction angle and cohesion was related to zeolite 25%. The results of XRD and SEM analyses indicated that stabilization with zeolite caused occurrence of chemical reactions and production of cement products including calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and calcium aluminate hydrate (CAH), which is one of the main reasons behind the increased soil strength.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and codes generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors highly appreciate the personnel of Iran Khak Company, especially Mr. Basir, the managing director of the company, for providing laboratory equipment.
References
Ahmadi, B., and M. Shekarchi. 2010. “Use of natural zeolite as a supplementary cementitious material.” Cem. Concr. Compos. 32 (2): 134–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2009.10.006.
Al-Mukhtar, M., A. Lasledj, and J. Alcover. 2010. “Behaviour and mineralogy changes in lime-treated expansive soil at 20°C.” Appl. Clay Sci. 50 (2): 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2010.07.023.
Al-Rawas, A. A., A. W. Hago, and H. Al-Sarmi. 2005. “Effect of lime, cement and Sarooj (artificial pozzolan) on the swelling potential of an expansive soil from Oman.” Build. Environ. 40 (5): 681–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2004.08.028.
ASTM. 1985. Standard test method for unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soil. ASTM D2166. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 1994. Standard test method for direct shear test of soils under consolidated drained conditions. ASTM D3080-90. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 1998a. Standard test methods for liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index of soils. ASTM D4318. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 1998b. Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using modified effort (56,000 ft-lbf/ft3 (2,700 kN-m/m3)). ASTM D1557-91. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2007. Standard test method for particle- size analysis of soil. ASTM D422-63. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Bazargani Guilani, K., and M. S. Rabani. 2004. “Deposition of sealestin, Aftar region, west Semnan.” [In Persian.] J. Geosci. 5 (12): 169–188.
Bazargani Guilani, K., and S. Rezaei. 2008. “Host rock and zeolites of Sartakht, southeast of Semnan, north central Iran.” [In Persian.] In Proc., 11th Conf. of Iranian Geological Society. Tehran, Iran: Univ. of Tehran.
Bell, F. G. 1996. “Lime stabilization of clay minerals and soils.” Eng. Geol. 42 (4): 223–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-7952(96)00028-2.
Canpolat, F., K. Yilmaz, M. M. Kose, M. Sumer, and M. A. Yurdusev. 2004. “Use of zeolite, coal bottom ash and fly ash as replacement materials in cement production.” Cem. Concr. Res. 34 (5): 731–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(03)00063-2.
Caputo, D., B. Liguori, and C. Colella. 2008. “Some advances in understanding the pozzolanic activity of zeolites: The effect of zeolite structure.” Cem. Concr. Compos. 30 (5): 455–462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2007.08.004.
Chan, S. Y. N., and X. Ji. 1999. “Comparative study of the initial surface absorption and chloride diffusion of high performance zeolite, silica fume and PFA concretes.” Cem. Concr. Compos. 21 (4): 293–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-9465(99)00010-4.
Cheshomi, A., A. Eshaghi, and J. Hassanpour. 2017. “Effect of lime and fly ash on swelling percentage and Atterberg limits of sulfate-bearing clay.” Appl. Clay Sci. 135 (Jan): 190–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2016.09.019.
Colella, C. 1999. “Natural zeolites for environmentally friendly processes and applications.” In Porous materials in environmental friendly processes (studies in surface science and catalysis 125), edited by I. Kiricsi, G. Pl-Borbély, J. B. Nagy, and H. G. Karge, 641–655. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Croft, J. B. 1964. “The processes involved in the lime stabilization of clay soils.” In Vol. 2 of Proc., Australian Road Research Board Conf., 1169–1203. Vermont South, Australia: Australian Road Research Board.
Delkash, M., B. Ebrazi Bakhshayesh, and H. Kazemian. 2015. “Using zeolitic adsorbents to cleanup special wastewater streams: A review.” Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 214 (Sep): 224–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2015.04.039.
Ding, J.-T., P.-Y. Yan, S.-L. Liu, and J.-Q. Zhu. 1999. “Extreme vertices design of concrete with combined mineral admixtures.” Cem. Concr. Res. 29 (6): 957–960. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(99)00069-1.
Du, Y. J., R. D. Fan, S. Y. Liu, K. R. Reddy, and F. Jin. 2015. “Workability, compressibility and hydraulic conductivity of zeolite-amended clayey soil/calcium-bentonite backfills for slurry-trench cutoff walls.” Eng. Geol. 195 (Sep): 258–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2015.06.020.
Edas, J. L., and R. E. Grim. 1966. “A quick test to determine lime requirements for soil stabilization.” Highway Res. Rec. 139: 61–72.
Feng, N., G. Li, and X. Zang. 1991. “High strength and flowing concrete with a zeolite mineral admixture.” Cem. Concr. Aggregate 12 (2): 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1520/CCA10273J.
Guidobaldi, G., C. Cambi, M. Cecconi, D. Deneele, M. Paris, G. Russo, and E. Vitale. 2017. “Multi-scale analysis of the mechanical improvement induced by lime addition on a pyroclastic soil.” Eng. Geol. 221 (Apr): 193–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2017.03.012.
Hamidpour, M., M. Kalbasi, M. Afyuni, H. Shariatmadari, P. E. Holm, and H. C. B. Hansen. 2010. “Sorption hysteresis of Cd (II) and Pb (II) on natural zeolite and bentonite.” J. Hazard. Mater. 181 (1–3): 686–691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.05.067.
Hejazi, M., and M. Ghorbani. 1993. Bentonite zeolite. [In Persian.] 108. Tehran, Iran: Iranian Geological Survey.
Hong, C. S., C. D. Shackelford, and M. A. Malusis. 2011. “Consolidation and hydraulic conductivity of zeolite amended soil–bentonite backfills.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 138 (1): 15–25. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000566.
Ismaiel, A. H. A., and M. M. Badry. 2013. “Lime chemical stabilization of expansive deposits exposed at El-Kawther quarter, Sohag region, Egypt.” Geosciences 3 (3): 89–98. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.geo.20130303.02.
Jin, F., R. D. Fan, and Y. J. Du. 2010. “Application of soil bentonite amended with zeolite for cutoff wall backfill in land contaminated remediation.” In Proc., 7th Int. Symp. on Lowland Technology. Saga, Japan: Lowland Technology.
Kaya, A., and S. Durukan. 2004. “Utilization of bentonite-embedded zeolite as clay liner.” Appl. Clay Sci. 25 (1–2): 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2003.07.002.
Khamehchiyan, M., A. H. Charkhabi, and M. Tajik. 2007. “Effects of crude oil contamination on geotechnical properties of clayey and sandy soils.” Eng. Geol. 89 (3–4): 220–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2006.10.009.
Liguori, B., D. Caputo, and F. Iucolano. 2014. “Fiber-reinforced lime-based mortars: Effect of zeolite addition.” Constr. Build. Mater. 77 (Feb): 455–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.12.067.
Liguori, B., F. Iucolano, D. Caputo, and C. Colella. 2013. “LTA zeolite as pozzolanic addition for hydraulic mortars: An effective, promising use.” Adv. Porous Mater. 1 (1): 129–135. https://doi.org/10.1166/apm.2013.1007.
Mahedi, M., B. Centi, and D. J. White. 2018. “Performance evaluation of cement and slag stabilized expansive soils.” Transp. Res. Rec. 2672 (52): 164–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118757439.
Malizia, J. P., and A. Shakoor. 2018. “Effect of water content and density on strength and deformation behavior of clay soils.” Eng. Geol. 244 (Oct): 125–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.07.028.
Malusis, M. A., E. J. Barben, and J. C. Evans. 2009. “Hydraulic conductivity and compressibility of soil–bentonite backfill amended with activated carbon.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 135 (5): 664–672. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000041.
Markiv, T., K. Sobol, M. Franus, and W. Franus. 2016. “Mechanical and durability properties of concretes incorporating natural zeolite.” Arch. Civ. Mech. Eng. 16 (4): 554–562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2016.03.013.
Matoes, M. 1964. “Soil lime research at Iowa State University.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 90 (2): 127–156. https://doi.org/10.11451/mukimate1953.1968.56.
Mehdizade Shahri, H., and M. S. Rabani. 2004. “Study of bentonites and zeolites in the Teachers area (south of Damghan) due to zeolite, bentonite, susanvar and gandhi zeolite.” [In Persian.] J. Geosci. 61 (16): 124–139.
Mohseni, E., W. Tang, and H. Cui. 2017. “Chloride diffusion and acid resistance of concrete containing zeolite and tuff as partial replacements of cement and sand.” Materials 10 (4): 372. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10040372.
Mola-Abasi, H., A. Khajeh, and S. Naderi Semsani. 2017. “ Porosity/( and particles) ratio controlling compressive strength of zeolite-cemented sands.” Geotech. Geol. Eng. 36 (2): 949–958. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-017-0367-9.
Mola-Abasi, H., B. Kordtabar, and A. Kordnaeij. 2016. “Effect of natural zeolite and cement additive on the strength of sand.” Geotech. Geol. Eng. 34 (5): 1539–1551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-016-0060-4.
Mola-Abasi, H., and I. Shooshpasha. 2016. “Influence of zeolite and cement additions on mechanical behavior of sandy soil.” J. Rock Mech. Geotech. Eng. 8 (5): 746–752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2016.01.008.
Nagrockiene, D., and G. Girskas. 2016. “Research into the properties of concrete modified with natural zeolite addition.” Constr. Build. Mater. 113 (Jun): 964–969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.03.133.
Nagrockiene, D., G. Girskas, and G. Skripkiūnas. 2017. “Properties of concrete modified with mineral additives.” Constr. Build. Mater. 135 (Mar): 37–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.12.215.
Ören, A. H., A. Kaya, and A. Ş. Kayalar. 2011. “Hydraulic conductivity of zeolite–bentonite mixtures in comparison with sand–bentonite mixtures.” Can. Geotech. J. 48 (9): 1343–1353. https://doi.org/10.1139/t11-042.
Pakbaz, M. S., and M. Farzi. 2015. “Comparison of the effect of mixing methods (dry vs. wet) on mechanical and hydraulic properties of treated soil with cement or lime.” Appl. Clay Sci. 105–106 (Mar): 156–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2014.11.040.
Perraki, T., G. Kakali, and F. Kontoleon. 2003. “The effect of natural zeolites on the early hydration of portland cement.” Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 61 (1): 205–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1387-1811(03)00369-X.
Poon, C. S., L. Lam, S. C. Kou, and Z. S. Lin. 1999. “A study on the hydration rate of natural zeolite blended cement pastes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 13 (8): 427–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0950-0618(99)00048-3.
Quanlin, N., and F. Naiqian. 2005. “Effect of modified zeolite on the expansion of alkaline silica reaction.” Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (9): 1784–1788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.10.030.
Ramezanianpour, A. A., R. Mousavi, M. Kalhori, J. Sobhani, and M. Najimi. 2015. “Micro and macro level properties of natural zeolite contained concretes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 101 (Dec): 347–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.10.101.
Sabet, F. A., N. A. Libre, and M. Shekarchi. 2013. “Mechanical and durability properties of self-consolidating high performance concrete incorporating natural zeolite, silica fume and fly ash.” Constr. Build. Mater. 44 (Jul): 175–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.02.069.
Samimi, K., S. Kamali-Bernard, A. Maghsoudi, M. Maghsoudi, and H. Siad. 2017. “Influence of pumice and zeolite on compressive strength, transport properties and resistance to chloride penetration of high strength self-compacting concretes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 151 (Oct): 292–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.06.071.
Seraj, S., R. D. Ferron, and M. C. G. Juenger. 2016. “Calcining natural zeolites to improve their effect on cementitious mixture workability.” Cem. Concr. Res. 85 (Jul): 102–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2016.04.002.
Sivapullaiah, P. V., and J. P. Prashansth. 1996. “Effect of fly ash of the index properties of black cotton soil.” Soils Found. 36 (1): 97–103. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.36.97.
Sivapullaiah, P. V., A. Sridharan, and K. V. Bhaskar. 2000. “Role of amount and type of clay in the lime.” Ground Improv. 4 (1): 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1680/grim.2000.4.1.37.
Stamatakis, M. G., A. Hal, and J. R. Hein. 1996. “The zeolite deposits of Greece.” Miner. Deposita 31 (6): 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196128.
Targana, S., A. Olgunb, Y. Erdoganb, and V. Sevinc. 2002. “Effects of supplementary cementing materials on the properties of cement and concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 32 (10): 1551–1558. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00831-1.
Tatliera, M., G. Munza, and S. K. Henningera. 2018. “Relation of water adsorption capacities of zeolites with their structural properties.” Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 264 (Jul): 70–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2017.12.031.
Terzić, A., L. Pezo, N. Mijatović, J. Stojanović, M. Kragović, L. Miličić, and L. Andrić. 2018. “The effect of alternations in mineral additives (zeolite, bentonite, fly ash) on physico-chemical behavior of portland cement based binders.” Constr. Build. Mater. 180 (Aug): 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.06.007.
Toutanji, H., N. Delatte, S. Aggoun, R. Duval, and A. Danson. 2004. “Effect of supplementary cementatious materials on the compressive strength and durability of short-term cured concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 34 (2): 311–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2003.08.017.
Tran, Y. T., J. Lee, P. Kumar, K. H. Kim, and SS. Lee. 2019. “Natural zeolite and its application in concrete composite production.” Composites Part B 165 (May): 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2018.12.084.
Tuan, N. V., N. C. Thang, P. H. Hanh, and T. T. Yen. 2016. “Effect of zeolite on autogenous shrinkage of ultra-high performance concrete.” Proc., 7th Int. Conf. of Asian Concrete Federation, Sustainable Concrete for Now and the Future. Pathumthani, Thailand: Asian Concrete Federation.
Turan, N. G., and O. N. Ergun. 2009. “Removal of Cu (II) from leachate using natural zeolite as a landfill liner material.” J. Hazard. Mater. 167 (1–3): 696–700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.01.047.
Vagelis, G. P. 2000. “Effect of fly ash on portland cement systems. II: High-calcium fly ash.” Cem. Concr. Res. 30 (1): 1647–1654. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(00)00388-4.
Vejmelková, E., D. Koňáková, T. Kulovaná, M. Keppert, J. Žumár, P. Rovnaníková, Z. Keršner, M. Sedlmajer, and R. Černý. 2015. “Engineering properties of concrete containing natural zeolite as supplementary cementitious material: Strength, toughness, durability, and hygrothermal performance.” Cem. Concr. Compos. 55 (Jan): 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2014.09.013.
Wu, Z., Y. Deng, S. Liu, Q. Liu, Y. Chen, and F. Zha. 2016. “Strength and micro-structure evolution of compacted soils modified by admixtures of cement and metakaolin.” Appl. Clay Sci. 127 (Jul): 44–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2016.03.040.
Yilmaz, B., A. Uçar, B. Öteyaka, and V. Uz. 2007. “Properties of zeolitic tuff (clinoptilolite) blended portland cement.” Build. Environ. 42 (11): 3808–3815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.11.006.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 10 • October 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 2, 2019
Accepted: Feb 26, 2020
Published online: Jul 31, 2020
Published in print: Oct 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Dec 31, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.