Effect of pulp mill fly ash and calcium bentonite on the mechanical and microstructural behavior of organic soil from Alberta, Canada
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Engineering, School of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Pokharel, Bigul
issued: 2020-07-16T21:03:19Z
issued: 2020
related degree: Master of Applied Science - MASc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The high compressibility and low shear strength characteristics of organic soil are significant challenges for the infrastructure development in Canada and across the world as well. This research investigated the use of pulp mill fly ash (PFA), alkaline activator and calcium bentonite (Ca-bentonite) to improve the engineering behaviour of the organic soil consisting of 26% organic matter, obtained from the wetlands in Wabasca region, Northern Alberta, Canada. Cementitious materials such as lime, and Portland cement have been successfully used to improve the engineering properties of problematic mineral soils having low organic content. However, limited studies have been devoted to stabilization of organic soils commonly encountered in forested regions of Canada. Series of fall cone tests and one dimensional oedometer tests were carried out to evaluate the effect of PFA, alkaline activator and Ca-bentonite on the engineering behaviour of the stabilized organic soil. In addition to fall cone and oedometer tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) test were conducted on regular and stabilized organic soil to analysis the change in microstructure and chemical components of the soil after stabilization. The results showed that the strength and compressibility behavior of the organic soil can be improved when treated with PFA and Ca-bentonite. Moreover, a potential large settlement of the organic soil can be reduced by adding PFA and Ca-bentonite to the organic soil. The amount of secondary compression index (Cα) was decreased significantly when compared to untreated organic soil, indicating that the PFA and Ca-bentonite stabilizer can effectively improve the creep behavior of organic soil. However, within the scope of this work, use of alkaline activator did not show any improvement in engineering behavior of the stabilized organic soil. This study implies that beneficial utilization of PFA and Ca- …
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/75189
note: EFFECT OF PULP MILL FLY ASH AND CALCIUM BENTONITE ON THE MECHANICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF ORGANIC SOIL FROM ALBERTA, CANADA by Bigul Pokharel BE in Civil Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2014 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF APPLIED SCIENCE in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Civil Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) June 2020 © Bigul Pokharel, 2020 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: Effect of pulp mill fly ash and Calcium bentonite on the mechanical and microstructural behavior of organic soil from Alberta, Canada submitted by Bigul Pokharel in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering. Dr. Sumi Siddiqua, School of Engineering Supervisor Dr. Mahmudur Fatmi, School of Engineering Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Ramy Saadeldin, Adjunct Faculty, School of Engineering Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Mohammad Hossein Zarifi, School of Engineering University Examiner iii Abstract The high compressibility and low shear strength characteristics of organic soil are significant challenges for the infrastructure development in Canada and across the world as well. This research investigated the use of pulp mill fly ash (PFA), alkaline activator and calcium bentonite (Ca-bentonite) to improve the engineering behaviour of the organic soil consisting of 26% organic matter, obtained from the wetlands in Wabasca region, Northern Alberta, Canada. Cementitious materials such as lime, and Portland cement have been successfully used to improve the engineering properties of problematic mineral soils having low organic content. However, limited studies have been devoted to stabilization of organic soils commonly encountered in forested regions of Canada. Series of fall cone tests and one dimensional oedometer …
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2020-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0392435
language: eng
degree discipline: Civil Engineering
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/75189