STABILIZATION OF ORGANIC SOILS WITH LIME

Abstract

AFTER A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE SURVEY ON SOIL-LIME REACTIONS AND THE PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC SOILS, LABORATORY STUDIES OF DIFFERENT INORGANIC AND ORGANIC SOILS SHOWED THAT THE ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOIL (PLASTICITY, STRENGTH, ETC.) WERE IMPROVED BY THE ADDITION OF LIME. CHANGES IN PH OF SOIL-LIME MIXTURES SHOWED THAT INCREASED LEVELS OF LIME TREATMENT WERE ABLE TO SATISFY THE BASE EXCHANGE CAPACITY OF THE ORGANIC MATTER IN THE SOIL AND INITIATED THE SOIL-LIME REACTION. A MINERALOGICAL INVESTIGATION WAS PERFORMED ON MIXTURES OF ORGANIC SOILS AND LIME: THE X-RAY DIFFRACTION ANALYSES SHOWED THE PRESENCE OF CEMENTITIOUS PRODUCTS SIMILAR TO THOSE REPORTED FOR THE INORGANIC SOIL-LIME REACTIONS. THE TESTED SOILS CONTAINED UP TO 20% OF ORGANIC MATTER. PREVIOUS RESEARCH AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HAD SHOWN THAT THE MAJORITY OF ORGANIC SOILS IN LOUISIANA HAVE NO MORE THAN 20% OF ORGANIC MATERIALS. BASED ON THIS STUDY, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT SUCH ORGANIC SOILS CAN BE STABILIZED BY THE ADDITION OF LIME. /LSU/