Valorization of Industrial Wastes in the Field of Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering

Clay materials exhibit a particular behavior under the effect of variations in their water content. They constitute, in arid and semiarid environment, a major problem for the durability of light and superficial works by the effect of shrinkage–swelling according to the seasons and variations in water content. This type of material is recovered in large quantities during earthworks but is not generally used as backfill material, due to its poor mechanical characteristics and the difficulty of its compaction (pasty and sticky appearance). These materials cause enormous storage problems and affect the balance of the environment (sliding, mudslides, etc.). These materials therefore constitute waste that is difficult to manage. In this work, we present the overview of various applications of industrial wastes. We suggest to use the granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) and the date seeds (DS) as a granular material to be added to soil with low cohesion to investigate their influence on the physical and mechanical properties of the soil as the California bearing ratio. For this purpose, different tests were conducted on these materials, including laser diffraction sieve analyze, methylene blue, modified proctor test, California bearing ratio (CBR). These tests were conducted on the control and the treated soil using different percentage of GBFS and DS. The results showed that the soil treated with GBFS and DS has an improvement of CBR.