Characterization of expansive soils treated with lignosulfonate

Abstract

Abstract The current study examines the potential of lignosulfonate to enhance the engineering behavior of two locally available expansive soils. The expansive soils were collected from Vijayawada and Amaravathi, located in the Capital Region of Andhra Pradesh, India. The soils were treated with four different percentages (0.5, 1, 2, and 4) of lignosulfonate and were allowed to interact for 7 and 28 days. A series of laboratory tests such as unconfined compressive strength, cation exchange capacity and scanning electron microscopy were carried out on the soil specimens. The results indicated that lignosulfonate has significant influence on the strength behavior of expansive soils. The amount of fines content present in soils defines the optimum percentage of lignosulfonate. Lignosulfonate treatment resulted in reduced negative surface charge of soils and formation of Polymer chain microstructure along with flocculated or aggregated particle microstructure, which may attribute to the enhanced strength of the expansive soils.