Cement stabilisation of crude-oil-contaminated soil

Abstract

Crude-oil-contaminated soils are usually considered unsuitable construction materials for earthworks. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the effects of applying Portland cement on the plasticity, strength and permeability of a crude-oil-contaminated soil in order to ascertain its suitability for use as an earthworks construction material. Series of specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, strength and permeability characteristics were determined for a natural soil, the soil after being artificially contaminated with crude oil and the contaminated soil with varying proportions of added cement. It was found that the geotechnical properties of the soil became less desirable after contamination with crude oil, but the application of cement to the contaminated soil improved its properties by way of cation exchange, agglomeration and cementation. Cement stabilisation of crude-oil-contaminated soil provides a stable supporting structure, as well as a capping layer, that prevents the crude oil from interacting with the construction materials above. Thus, instead of disposing of contaminated soils, creating unnecessary waste and incurring costs, stabilisation with cement – which is practically feasible to undertake on site – makes such soils useful for supporting structural foundations or road pavement structures.