Effect of Jarosite Waste and Red Mud on Strength and Compressibility Behavior of Clayey Soil

One practical approach to directly lessen our reliance on natural resources is using industrial wastes as construction material. This frees up significant spaces that are otherwise needed for storage and disposal. It also has the potential to enhance the applicability of water-sensitive clayey soil as a construction material. This study examines two industrial wastes, Jarosite waste from the zinc industry and red mud from the aluminium industry, as unconventional stabilizers for highly clayey soil. A comprehensive geotechnical investigation on clayey and treated soil samples has been carried out, considering time effects. The lightweight compaction method and maximum unconfined compressive strength for 7 and 28 days of the curing period have been used to determine the optimum mix for the clay-waste blend. Strain-controlled cyclic triaxial experiments have been performed on clayey and treated soil samples at axial strain amplitudes of 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% with a loading frequency of 1 Hz. The results show that the unconfined compressive strength of the treated sample rises by about 57% to 123%, compared to virgin soil, after 0 to 28 days of curing. The free swell index value decreases to 10% from 44%, and swelling pressure drops to 9.1 from 95.5 kPa for treated samples after 28 days of curing.