Utilisation of Biomass Rice Husk Ash Waste as a Potential Binder for the Stabilisation of Clayey Soil

Problematic soils are always a concern and require stabilisation before any construction can be done on it. India being the second largest rice-producing country in the world produces rice husk as a waste product. Due to increased environmental concerns, rice husk waste (RHA) is used as an important biomass source. This study explores the efficacy of silica-rich biomass rice husk ash waste product as a potential binder in stabilising clayey soil. The strength characteristics were studied by adding RHA in percentages of 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. This paper focussed on the compaction characteristics and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) to determine the optimum binder content for clayey soil. It was observed that up to an optimum binder content of 20%, the strength increased (67.43%) and then decreased. The effect of curing period on the strength gain was also investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was conducted to analyse the microstructural variation.