Characterization of Soil Stabilized with Various Contents of PET Sheets

The extensive generation of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste, exceeding 50 million tons annually, presents both an environmental challenge and an opportunity for sustainable geotechnical applications, particularly in soil stabilization. While various forms of PET materials, including shredded materials, fibers, sheets, and strips, have shown promise in soil reinforcement, there are inconsistent findings regarding their effectiveness across different soil types and PET configurations, necessitating further investigation into the optimal use of PET sheets for soil stabilization. The purpose of this study is to determine the physical properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) stabilized soil. Amount of 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9% of PET from the dry weight of soil with dimension of 20mm length and 10mm width were mixed with soil. The compaction test results show that the optimum moisture content (OMC) of the soil sample increased to 15.3% at 0.3% and 0.6% PET content, but decreased to 14.3% at 0.9% PET content. A similar trend was observed for the maximum dry density (MDD) of the soil, which increased to 1.79 Mg/cm³ at 0.3 and 0.6% PET content but declined to 1.75 Mg/cm³ at 0.9% PET content. From the permeability test, 0.9% PET content was found to be optimal for reducing the water flow rate within the soil sample, yielding a hydraulic conductivity of 1.033 cm/s. Meanwhile, 0.3% PET content proved optimal for increasing the CBR value of the soil sample to 21.81%. These findings indicate that PET waste exhibits considerable potential as a soil stabilizer, wherein the optimum content is governed by the desired enhancement in specific engineering characteristics.