Stabilisation of laterite soil with municipal solid waste incinerator ash for compressed stabilised earth blocks

Abstract

Buildings made of earth material is an attempt for sustainable development to overcome the threats of rapid pollution rate caused by huge application of cement in construction industry almost in all forms of building blocks, all kinds of structural elements and infrastructure. Disposal management of municipal solid waste raises health and environmental concerns while unstabilized laterite soils cause severe disadvantages to earth blocks such as low compressive strength, high water absorption rate and low abrasion resistance. This results into less durable structures hence their limited use in construction industry. The main objective of this study was to identify the better stabilization material for stabilized earth blocks for complete or partial replacement of cement in the manufacture of CSEBs. The scope of work was to achieve a harmonious integrated performance of buildings with physical environment by using natural earth material for preparing building blocks. In this project, municipal solid waste incinerator ash has been used to find out the most suited dosage of ash stabilization material for CSEBs providing efficiency as well as sustainability as a substitute material for cement or lime. In this study CSEBs prepared using neat laterite soil has been compared with specimens in which MSWI ash in ranges of 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5%, and 15% of the soil’s weight was used as a stabilizing agent. The 28 days compressive strength results shows 10.5% increase in strength for 12.5% optimum ash dosage. The reduced water absorption has been noticed in CSEBs using MSWI ash which will facilitate good bonding with fresh mortar by avoiding high rate of water absorption from fresh mortar by blocks finding its effective application in construction of load bearing walls for general buildings.