Open AccessStabilisation of Sohar’s Sabkha soil using waste gypsum plasterboard
Author(s) -
Hilal Salim ALAlawi,
Abideen Ganiyu,
Atef Badr
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/849/1/012028
Subject(s) - sabkha , gypsum , geotechnical engineering , geology , soil water , soil science , geochemistry , evaporite , sedimentary rock , paleontology
Sabkha soil are salt-encrusted desert flats typically found in arid regions. Construction developments on naturally occurring Sabkha soils are usually problematic. This study examines the properties of Sabkha soil obtained from Sohar city of Oman. The Sabkha soil samples were further treated with Gypsum obtained from waste plasterboards at varying percentages of 3, 6, 9 and 12 with a view to stabilising the soil. From the results, Sohar Sabkha soil is a poorly graded sand (SP) with AASHTO classification of A-2-7(0), therefore, it is unsuitable for supporting infrastructures in its natural form. The pH test confirms the reaction between Sabkha and Gypsum, while both the compaction and unconfined compression strength (UCS) tests revealed the optimum percentage of gypsum required to enhance the properties of Sabkha soil to be 6%. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test yielded a 33.3% increase in CBR value for Sabkha treated with 6% of Gypsum over untreated Sabkha. Overall, a better understanding of sabkha soil and the confirmation of the potential use of Gypsum for its stabilisation was achieved in this study.