Soil stabilization with rice husk ash and lime sludge

The feasibility of using two industrial wastes, rice husk ash (RHA) from a rice mill and lime sludge from a paper factory, for soil stabilisation in road construction activities, was studied. Both waste materials are produced in India as industrial by-products. The effects of adding RHA and/or lime sludge on Proctor's density, Atterberg's limits, soil plasticity and the unconfined compressive strength of a soil were studied. RHA and lime sludge addition increased the liquid limit and plastic limit of a soil and decreased the dry density. The unconfined compressive strength had a maximum value for a soil mix containing 10% RHA and 16% lime sludge. The results suggested that RHA and lime soil could be successfully used for the stabilisation of a clay soil.