Stabilization of Clay Soil Using Seashells and Coconut Husks

Stabilization of Clay Soil Using Seashells and Coconut Husks
Chapter 1: Introduction
a) Background of the Study

Soil stabilization is a technique aimed at increasing or maintaining the stability of
soil mass and chemical alteration of soils to enhance their Engineering Properties.
Stabilization can be used to treat a wide range of subgrade materials from expansive
clay to granular materials. This allows for the establishment of design criteria as well as
the determination of the proper chemical additive and admixture rate to be used in
order to achieve the desired engineering properties. Benefits of the stabilization process
can include higher resistance values, reduction in plasticity, lower permeability,
reduction of pavement thickness, elimination of excavation material
hauling or handling. Stabilization of expansive soils with admixtures controls the
potential of soils for a change in volume, and improves the strength of soils.
Being a tropical island, Philippines is very rich in marine resources tropical trees
such as coconut trees. Over the year, agricultural establishment produced many types of
waste in its daily operation. Coconut husk for example is one of the most abundant
agricultural wastes produced in Philippines. Despite the massive amount of the waste
produced, the standards of waste management in Philippines are still poor.
Along the west coast of Philippines, oyster farming is one of the most important
production activities for the country’s economy. In general, most of the oyster shells are
discarded with no further use once the flesh is stripped off; except that a small amount
is used for art creation. As a result, oyster shell piles are common in areas of oyster
production with no further utilization. Chemical and microstructure analyses reveal that
oyster shells are predominantly composed of CaO, similar to that of lime, which has
been used for soil stabilization .
b) Statement of the Problem
A difficult problem in Civil Engineering work exists when the sub-grade is found
to be clay. Soils having high clay content have a tendency to swell when their moisture
content is allowed to increase. This moisture may come from rains, floods, leaking sewer
lines, or from the reduction of surface evaporation when an area is covered by a
building or pavement. Frequently, these clayey soils cause the cracking and breaking up
of pavements, railways, highway embankments, roadways, foundations and channel or
reservoir linings. The high cost of repairing the damaged structures has drawn attention
to the need for more reliable investigation of such soils and necessitates methods to
eliminate or at least reduce the effect of volume change in the soil and increase the
strength.
Considering the scale of construction industries in the near future it is
imperative to guarantee a secure supply of high-quality sand resources. Therefore, it is
essential to conduct a research for other alternatives to meet future demands. Our
research involves two major parts: first, the reaction between clay soil and the
pulverized oyster shell and secondly, the potential of coconut husk utilization into clay
stabilization.
c) Significance of Study
Clay soils are one among the problematic soils that has a high potential of
shrinking and swelling due to change of moisture content. The volume changes due to
the shrink-swell behaviour of the soil cause excessive total and differential movements
of overlying structures and embankments in addition to load induced settlement of the
soil. Population growth leading to rapid urbanization requires various types of civil
engineering infrastructures and facility services. The growing metropolitan cities need
more number of good lands for both construction activities and road development. The
present study deals with the influence of sea shell powder and ferric chloride in
stabilizing these problematic soils. Also considering the scale of construction industries
in the near future it is imperative to guarantee a secure supply of high-quality sand
resources. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a research for other alternatives to meet
future demands. It is also necessary to fully utilize wastes such as empty seashells and
coconut husks and find a way to discard them safely and usefully.
d) Objectives of Study
 To evaluate the performance of clay soil when mixed with seashells and
coconut husk
 To determine whether seashells and coconut husk are viable for soil
stabilization
 To determine if seashells and coconut husks can be alternative for
cement
 To determine if seashells and coconut husks is viable in construction
e) Theoretical Framework
Each year, more than 15 million tons of municipal solid waste is collected in
Philippines. This total amount has increased steadily during the last decade. Seashells
comprise approximately 0.9% of the total waste. Although most of these wastes
currently are incinerated or land-filled, environmental concerns demand the
development of an effective waste utilization process. The chemical composition of
shells is >90% calcium carbonate (CaCO3) by weight this composition is similar to
limestone powder or dust-like stone powder from grinding limestone to produce
Portland cement. Ground seashells also are used as an ingredient of cement or sand
replacements in concrete production to save costs. The use of ground seashells as a
stone-like substitute material to produce concrete and mortar has been studied
previously.
Utilization of coconut husk in brick is an essential ingredient in a building
material. Coconut husks are commonly use in material production because of the
advantages has be found such as the resistant to fungi and rot, provide excellent
insulation against temperature and sound, tough and durable, not easy to combustible
and resilient. Moreover, coconut fibres are also one of the substances that can be
commercialized, recycled, can be used in the fired clay brick making process in order to
reduce the rate of solid waste and improve the quality of the environment. Recently,
many researchers are interested to carry out an investigation of potential solid waste
material that could be recycled in clay bricks. Therefore, due to this successful utilization
this study investigated the potential of incorporating the coconut husk into soil
stabilization.
f) Scope and Limitation
This study focuses on the utilization of seashells and coconut husks in soil
stabilization. The data were collected through laboratory work and information was
obtained from secondary literatures and previous studies. Data about the properties of
lime from seashells and coconut husk ash are obtained from research papers done
before. The properties of the soil were obtained from experiments following the ASTM
standard.
Chapter 2: Review of Related Studies and Literature
The literature and studies cited in this chapter tackle the different concept,
understanding, and ideas, generalization or conclusions and different development
related to study of soil stabilization from the past up to the present and which serves as
the researchers guide in developing the project. Those that were also included in this
chapter helps in familiarizing information that are relevant and similar to the present
study.
Related Studies and Literature
In a published journal done by Athira T, Ashish Johnson (International Journal of

Engineering Research & Technology )expansive soils denote clayey soil that not only
possess the tendency to swell but also to shrink when the prevailing moisture condition
is allowed to change. There are various methods for improving the properties of
expansive soil. They investigated the effectiveness of coconut husk and lime from
seashells in stabilizing the expansive soil. Coconut husks and lime are commonly
available materials and are also economical. The tests were conducted for various
dosages of coconut shell powder and lime after curing periods of 0, 7 and 28 day in
order to study the drying and wetting properties. From the results it was inferred that
coconut husk powder and lime are effective in improving the properties of expansive
soil.
In a research done by Engr. Pierre Parfan (ARPN Journal of Engineering and

Applied Sciences 2016), it explores an alternative utilization of seashell wastes in clay
soil stabilization in order to reduce environmental pollution. Evaluation of the crushed
seashell (CSS) reveals that it can be considered as a gravel material, with flat but not
elongated particles of 25% of Los Angeles Abrasion loss value. Laboratory testing and
analysis determined that it meets the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) requirements for use as a subbase and base coarse
material at 45% replacement of fine soil aggregate. The CSS addition in clay soil
increases the maximum density using less water than the control group, with the same
compaction energy.
In a published article done by Engr. Hene L. Hapinat (FFTC Agricultural Policy

Articles 2017), the demand for agricultural lime is high, considering its various uses from
agricultural production to processing.This study determines the lime potential of
shellfishes as a promising raw material for lime industry in the Philippines and can be
used as alternatives for commercially produced agricultural lime.
In the study on the properties of expansive clayey soil using Coconut Husk Ash
(CHA) as stabilizer done by Arunav Chakraborty and Swapnaneel Roy (Tezpur University,
Department of Civil Engineering) the volume of wastes generated in the world has
increased over the years due to increase in population, socioeconomic activities and
social development hence utilization of these waste materials in the improvement of
soils is a cost efficient and environmental friendly method. Coconut husk ash (CHA) is
used as a stabilizer to improve the properties of expansive clayey soils. Various
engineering tests like Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS), California Bearing Ration
(CBR), Proctor Test, Free Swell Index Test (FSI) were performed at varying percentage of
CHA (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) and at varying curing periods (2 days, 4 days and 7 days) to find the
optimum range of CHA to use as stabilizer. It is found that with the increase in the
percentage of CHA the UCS and CBR values increases up to 8% at a curing period of 7
days. It is finally concluded that the optimum range for percentage of CHA to be used as
soil stabilizer is found to be 8%.
Chapter 3: Methodology
Preparation of Materials:
Soil - Soil is the raw material that was used in this study. The soil was obtained in
Bagakay Ozamiz City.The soil collected is stored and dried. Subsequently, the soils were
crushed and sieve to ensure the soil must not contain any impurities. Preliminary test
was conducted which covers the determination on plastic limit, liquid limit and plasticity
index of the in accordance Method of Test for Soil or Civil Engineering Purposes.
Coconut Husk - Coconut husk is used as by incorporating different percentages of

coconut fibre into fired clay brick. Coconut husks were collected around Ozamiz area.
Coconut fibre was dried in the oven before being used in the brick.
Seashells – Empty shells were collected from the beach and local households. The
empty shells were thoroughly washed with tap water to remove impurities and then left
for 2-3 hours for air drying. The shells were then crushed for easier calcination. The
shells were then calcinated for 3-4 hours in a furnace. The shells were then set aside to
cool down. Using a mortar and pestle, they were pulverized and then sieved.
The soil sample was washed and sieved to remove impurites. It was then dried
under the sun before conducting the lab experiments. The seashells were collected in
the beach at Jimenez. It was washed thoroughly to remove salinity and dried under the
sun. It was then crushed into smaller pieces for easier burning
Limestone is basically calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The general source of lime is

limestone and various other calcareous minerals, though shells, egg shells and coral are
other sources of lime When heated above 840 degrees Celsius, the lime decomposes
into calcium oxide (CaO) or Quicklime and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). When water is
added to the quicklime it becomes calcium hydroxide Ca (OH)2 or lime putty. From here
the calcium hydroxide can then be shaped into a form and allowed to set. Carbon
dioxide enters the lime putty as it dries causing it to turn back into calcium carbonate.
The new calcium carbonate has then set, remaining solid and water resistant.
Coconut husk were collected from a copra maker in Ozamiz. The coconut husk were
washed and dried under the sun before burning it.
Mixing soil with seashells and coconut husk
The ingredients were mixed with a 50/50 ratio and water mixed is approximated. The
specimens were then left to settle for 1 week. After 1 week the specimens were
removed from the molds and totally submerged in water to cure for 2 weeks.
Compressive Strength Test
Crushing Strength of bricks is determined by placing brick in compression testing

magchine. After placing the brick in compression testing machine, apply load on it until
it breaks the minimum crushing strength of brick is 35 N/𝑚𝑚2 if it is less than 35 N/𝑚𝑚2,
then it is not useful for construction purpose
Brick A (Seashells)
AVERAGE COMPRESSIVE STRENGHT FOR BRICK B: 81.24 N/𝒎𝒎𝟐
Brick B (Coconut Husk Ash)
AVERAGE COMPRESSIVE STRENGHT FOR BRICK B: 30.81 N/𝒎𝒎𝟐
Results Summary
Brick A (Seashells)
Trial Compressive Strength (N/mm2)
1 82.23
2 80.67
3 80.83
Bricks B (Coconut Husk Ash)
Trial Compressive Strength (N/mm2)
1 29.76
2 31.12
3 31.54
Chapter 4: Results and Discussion
Brick B has a compressive strength of 81.24.As per IS:1077–1992 clause 4.1

applied for burnt clay strength = 40 N/mm^2. It passed the standard minimum strength
of a first class brick.
Bricks C has a compressive strength of 30.81. It failed to pass the standard

minimum strength of a first class brick.
In regards to the objectives, the following answers can be made:
a) To evaluate the performance of clay soil when mixed with seashells and coconut
husk
*Seashells passed the standard strength while the coconut husk ash
failed horribly
b) To determine whether seashells and coconut husk are viable for soil stabilization
*Seashells is viable for soil stabilization while coconut husk ash is not
c) To determine if seashells and coconut husks can be alternative for cement

d) To determine if seashells and coconut husks is viable in construction
*For small scale construction, seashells can be used as alternative for
cement.
Recommendations
Large scale production of lime from seashells can be used as alternative for
cement. As for the mix design, if the mix ratio is adjusted to the standard ASTM method,
the compressive strength of seashells can be enhanced and can be viable for
construction purposes. As for coconut husk ash, another raw material can be added to
it, one with high silica substabce to further enhance its strength
References
Study on Stabilization of Soil Using Sea Shell and Bitumen Emulsion Maheshwari
G.Bisanal1 , Ravikumar Badiger
Performance of Seashell Powder on Sub-grade Soil Stabilization Ankit Patel1 , Prof.

C.B.Mishra2 1Research Scholar,2 Associated Professor 1, 2Civil Engineering
Department, BVM Engineering College, V.V.Nagar, Anand, India
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264876789_Potentials_of_Coconut_Shell_
and_Husk_Ash_on_the_Geotechnical_Properties_of_Lateritic_Soil_for_Road_Works
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315943095_Expansive_Soil_Stabilization_
using_Coconut_Shell_Powder_and_Lime
Rajput, R. K.. Engineering Material: (Including Construction Materials). 3rd ed. New
Delhi: S. Chand & Co. Ltd. 2006. 74. Print
https://www.academia.edu/12806631/Review_on_Stabilization_of_Soil_Using_Coir_
Fiber
ASTM C62 – 17 Standard Specification for Building Brick (Solid Masonry Units Made
From Clay or Shale)
Emeka Segun NNOCHIRI, 2.Olumide Moses OGUNDIPE EFFECTS OF COCONUT SHELL

ASH ON LIME STABILIZED LATERITIC SOIL FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION

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Stabilization of Clay Soil Using Seashells and Coconut Husks

a) Background of the Study

Related Studies and Literature

In a published journal done by Athira T, Ashish Johnson (International Journal of

In a research done by Engr. Pierre Parfan (ARPN Journal of Engineering and

In a published article done by Engr. Hene L. Hapinat (FFTC Agricultural Policy

Coconut Husk - Coconut husk is used as by incorporating different percentages of

Limestone is basically calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The general source of lime is

Compressive Strength Test

Crushing Strength of bricks is determined by placing brick in compression testing

Brick B (Coconut Husk Ash)

AVERAGE COMPRESSIVE STRENGHT FOR BRICK B: 30.81 N/𝒎𝒎𝟐

Trial Compressive Strength (N/mm2)

Trial Compressive Strength (N/mm2)

Chapter 4: Results and Discussion

Brick B has a compressive strength of 81.24.As per IS:1077–1992 clause 4.1

Bricks C has a compressive strength of 30.81. It failed to pass the standard

In regards to the objectives, the following answers can be made:

c) To determine if seashells and coconut husks can be alternative for cement

Performance of Seashell Powder on Sub-grade Soil Stabilization Ankit Patel1 , Prof.

Emeka Segun NNOCHIRI, 2.Olumide Moses OGUNDIPE EFFECTS OF COCONUT SHELL

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