Chemical Soil Stabilization Process for Better Quality Soil

Chemical Soil Stabilization is the process of treating soil with chemicals to improve its stability or alter its chemical properties. Lime and cement, which are Hydraulic Binders, are used to enhance the physical properties of the soil. It’s a cost effective process that eliminates the need for replacing weak soil with processed granular substances. The benefits of carrying out chemical stabilization process have resulted in its wide spread usage across the globe.

The Process The type of soil and mineral content present are prime factors which determine the type of binder to be used. For instance, while treating soil rich in clay and silt, the additives preferred are lime or a combination of lime and Portland cement. But in a case of coarser particles, the favored additives are Portland Cement, Fly Ash and CKD. In order to ascertain the binder type and concentration, laboratory mixed designs and tests are performed.

When mixing the hydraulic binder with soil and an adequate amount of water, a three stage chemical reaction occurs:

1. First, a “cation exchange process” takes place, where exchangeable cations held by the host soil are replaced with higher valence calcium icons held by the lime.

2. The second process involves flocculation/agglomeration of host soil particles and an increase in the effective grain size. The above mentioned reactions are immediate and result in the modification of host soil.

3. The third phase, referred to as aPozzolanic reaction, is a time-dependant reaction producing materials of cement-like nature such as Calcium Silicate Hydrate(CSH)and Calcium Aluminate Hydrate(CAH) gels.

Compared to Portland cement, Fly Ash and CKD, a more rapid alteration occurs when Lime is added to the soil, as in the latter a higher concentration of calcium is present.

These chemical reactions finally result in the stabilization of soil.

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