Study on the Effect of Amorphous Silica from Waste Granite Powder on the Strength Development of Cement-Treated Clay for Soft Ground Improvement

Joyce Nakayenga, Mutsuko Inui and Toshiro Hata
Additional contact information
Joyce Nakayenga: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8527, Japan
Mutsuko Inui: School of Science and Engineering, Kokushikan University, 4-28-1 Setagaya, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo 154-8515, Japan
Toshiro Hata: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8527, Japan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Granite powder (stone powder), a waste product generated from stone quarries, is increasingly being reused in cement-treated clays. The particle size of stone powders affects the cement-clay reaction by either increasing or reducing the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). This study investigated this phenomenon by separating stone powder from the same batch at the quarry into five particle sizes (A, B, C, D and E: 106–75 µm, 40–75 µm, 20–40 µm, <20 µm and 106–<1 µm, respectively). Flow value, fall cone, UCS and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray fluorescence, electrical conductivity and NaOH digestion tests were conducted. It was discovered that stone powder had an amorphization rate of up to 1.45% (14.5 mg/g of amorphous silica); hence, it was pozzolanic. However, the amorphousness varied with the particle size of the material in the order of D > E > C > B > A, which translated into UCS variation in the same order. Stone powders D and E played two roles in UCS development, i.e., nucleation of cementitious products and reaction with Ca(OH) 2 to increase the UCS higher than the control sample. Linear regression equations determined the minimum concentration of amorphous silica for a UCS increment as 9.4 mg/g.

Keywords: stone powder; strength; cement-treated clay; particle size; amorphous silica; pozzolanic reactivity; waste reuse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/4073/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/4073/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4073-:d:782757

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().