Compressive strength and microstructure of soft clay soil stabilized with recycled bassanite

Abstract This paper investigates the microstructure and mineralogical compositions of soft clay soil stabilized with bassanite that is produced from gypsum waste materials. Bassanite was mixed in different ratios with cement and lime, as a solidification agent, to prevent the solubility of bassanite. Different amounts of these admixtures were mixed with the tested soil. Scan electron microscopic (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to identify the microstructure and mineralogical compositions of stabilized soil specimens, respectively while unconfined compression test was used to examine the compressive strength. Test results showed that the addition of recycled bassanite improves the strength of the tested soil. The improvement in the soil strength, based on compressive strength, is in agreement with the SEM and XRD results. The XRD results revealed the presence of various cementation compounds in the soil matrix when recycled bassanite was added. Both the content and ratio of the admixture had a significant effect on the formation of the cementation compounds and the improvement of compressive strength. The formation of ettringite increased with the increase of admixture content in soil mixture for both admixtures used. The ratio of admixture had a clear effect on the reduction of the formation of ettringite in the case of bassanite–cement admixture while it had no significant effect in the case of bassanite–lime admixture. Curing time had a significant effect on the formation of ettringite and the improvement of compressive strength. These results support the suitability of using recycled bassanite produced from gypsum wastes as a low cost and efficient stabilizer material in ground improvement projects.