How to cite:
Rajaa Mohamed Sager, Saeeda Omran Furgan. (2021). The Use Of
Plastic Waste To Improve The Properties Of Clay Soil For Use In
Paving Roads Journal Eduvest. Vol 1(12): 1.579-1.585
E-ISSN:
2775-3727
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!
Eduvest!–!Journal!of!Universal!Studies
Volume!1!Number!12,!December,!2021!
p-!ISSN!2775-3735-!e-ISSN!2775-3727!
THE USE OF PLASTIC WASTE TO IMPROVE THE
PROPERTIES OF CLAY SOIL FOR USE IN PAVING ROADS
1
Rajaa!Mohamed!Sager,!
2
Saeeda!Omran!Furgan
!
Department!of!roads!and!runways!engineering,!Faculty!of!technical!civil!
aviation!and!meteorology-!Sbaia,!Libya!
Email:[email protected],[email protected]!
ARTICLE!INFO!!!!!!!!ABSTRACT!
Received:
Nopember, 26
th
2021
Revised:
December, 8
th
2021
Approved:
December, 18
th
2021
!
!
!
The use of plastic materials such as polypropylene and poly
ethylene has faced an enormous increase in the contemporary
world. This factor of the contemporary world causes damage
to the environment. The world wanted to reuse this waste in a
productive way that reduces the ecological damage occurring
to the environment. One of the best ways found after
numerous researches to reuse this waste, is to utilise them in
enhancing the properties of clay soil and further using it in
paving roads. This paper focuses on the study that finds the use
of plastic waste as the augmentation to improve the properties
of soil and decrease the environmental pollution. The soil used
in this paper is known to be expansive clay soil by AASHTO soil
classification system.
KEYWORDS!
Plastic! Waste,! Soil! Properties.! Pavement,! Roads,!
Environment!
!
This! work! is! licensed! under! a! Creative! Commons!
Attribution-ShareAlike!4.0!International!
INTRODUCTION
Plastic waste disposal is increasing day by day and has contributed dramatically
in ecological hazards. The plastic waste not only causes environmental issues but also
eventually leads to financial issues, globally. According to a study conducted, the plastic
waste generated on an average level is 15.4 billion pieces on daily basis. Polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) are considered to be the most produced plastic
waste in the world. Despite the everyday use of plastic in our lives it creates the huge
adverse impact on the society. Therefore, the studies have been conducted in order to fund
the effective ways to use this plastic in civil engineering application is to save the
!
Rajaa!Mohamed!Sager,!Saeeda!Omran!Furgan!
The Use Of Plastic Waste To Improve The Properties Of Clay Soil For Use In Paving
Roads 1.580
environment. One of the most effective methods found by the researchers has been the the
soil stabilisation to improve the layers of pavement for the roads. The incorporation of
plastic waste in the soil helps to make the weak properties of soil into stronger ones. It helps
to elevate the availability of UCR, CBR, and MR and reduces the plasticity of the soil.
This paper will talk about several aspects of the ways to improve the properties of clay soil
to use it in paving roads. Soil reinforcement is the most useful market for HDPE waste.
Keeping all these points in view the paper demonstrates the soil enhancement by
the usage of plastic waste products. The objective of this paper is to provide improvement
research for the properties of clay soil in a way that reduces the environmental hazards in
an economical manner.
RESEARCH METHOD
The procedure carried out to investigate this study consists of the following
aspects:
• Specific Gravity
• Sieve Analysis
• Moisture Content
• OMC-MDD
•
Furthermore, the sieve analysis, specific gravity, and standard proctor compaction
test were conducted for the soil properties analysis. The sieve analysis is a process that is
used to evaluate the size distribution among the material with granules. Secondly, specific
gravity is the ratio of the unit of solids in the soil to the water unit. There is a specific
calculation needed for the ratio calculation, below shown are the degree of saturation and
void ratio in the properties of soil.
Table 1: Properties of Sample Soil
S.No
Properties Of Soil Sample
Values
1
Specific Gravity
2.12
2
Moisture Content
6.52
3
Optimum moisture
content
23.77
4
Maximum dry density
1.64
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
This paper shows how important the enhancement of the clay soil is important to have
better-paved roads. It is possible in a way where plastic waste is used in the strips to add
them into the soil to gain an alternate way of disposing the waste. The addition of these
strips in the soil also makes it the optimum for pavement of roads, as it helps to reduce the
value of MDD and increases the value of OMC. The percentage of the plastic strips
increases with an increase in the CBR value. Making the soil stable is one of the best ways
to dispose of plastic waste without harming nature, this helps in the strength, workability,
Eduvest – Journal of Universal Studies
Volume 1 Number 12, December 2021
1.581 http://eduvest.greenvest.co.id
and constructiveness of the soil. The addition of plastic in the clay soil further helps towards
the improvement of nature of the soil to make roads and the foundation bearing capacity
highly enhanced and reliable. It has been studied that the accurate ratio of the soil to be 4%
of the plastic strips. The civil engineering structure foundations are highly supported by the
soil waste as it supports the structure and provides stability that is needed by the soil. The
addition of plastic to the soil is one of the most innovative techniques for stabilisation of
soil. Furthermore, the studies show that the monsoon season has different types of effects
on paved and unpaved roads, depending upon the quality and the strength of soil. Moreover,
HDPE is also used for soil reinforcement for the improvement of engineering properties.
To conduct a test, the strips of HDPE were mixed in the soil to find out the actual amount
of them available in soil. The results of the test were drawn based on width and the length
of these strips. The graph below shows the variation of Piston Loads Ratio which represents
that the maximum CBR and the secant module are gained from the ratio of 3 and 4% strip
availability. The graph explains that the soil with plastic strips is highly feasible for the
pavement of the roads.
"A Study on Behavior of Waste Plastic Strip Reinforced Soil" Emirates Journal for
Engineering Research, 15 (1), 51-57 (2010)
There is a possibility of having some headings for the development of designing
properties since geogrids are framed using a polymer sheet that is punched simply.
Similarly, Woven geogrids are made by winding around polymer filaments, normally
polypropylene or polyester, that can be covered for expanded scraped area resistance.
However, welded geogrids are produced by welding the intersecting sections of woven
polymers. Likewise, Geogrid composites are crafted by joining geogrids with other items
and building a composite framework to suit a specific application. With respect to different
kinds of asphalt support applications, expelled geogrids perform particularly well. There is
a considerable amount of erosive action on the soil, which reduces the tendency for the soil
component to slide between the soil and geogrid component as well as the most frequent
way of moving pressure from the soil to the component which supports the soil.
!
Rajaa!Mohamed!Sager,!Saeeda!Omran!Furgan!
The Use Of Plastic Waste To Improve The Properties Of Clay Soil For Use In Paving
Roads 1.582
Furthermore, Geogrids tend to interact with soil particles in a variety of ways due to
their lack of uprightness. In terms of expansion, geogrids' little solidity makes it plausible
to relate the evolution of strength properties of soil to a ductile strain generated by geogrids.
By developing fortifications on sub grades, the bank can additionally increase its security
coefficient and significantly decrease relocations. Besides, if the powerless sub-grade is
balanced or supported, the thickness required at the outside will be less, which results in
fewer fixes, and by and large, has a cost-saving effect [1].
At the point when plastic portions of various sizes and rates were added to soil, a
decrease in both MDD and OMC was noticed. Abatement in the thickness of asphalt layer
materials enjoys a benefit in some design works, like lightweight development. As the level
of strips builds, the expanding capability of the dirt altogether diminishes. Assuming that
the replacement of a comparable mass of soil with a plastic strip is responsible for this
result, further analysis is needed since there are a lot more variables associated with
different soil types than just the difference between plastic and soil. Adding plastic waste
strips to normally fruitless regions where the same old thing won't develop in the future
assists with improving the quality of the soils under the UCS by introducing modern
materials into regularly fruitless regions. By contrast with typical soil [non-industrial]
mechanisms, yields can be improved more rapidly and more effectively, thus decreasing
food costs for nearby residents who rely on ranchers [2].
The site in which the dirt was fully submerged was in the most dreadfully awful
condition, Splurged CBR was directed to consider this fact. In addition, this tool is helpful
for understanding the impact of water on the strength of broad soils. The graph indicates
that CBR worth increases as the size and rate of plastic strips grow. For a 5*8 mm plastic
strip, CBR esteem expanded by 44.67% from 1.97 to 2.85; similarly, for 8*15 mm plastic
strips, CBR esteem increased from 1.97 to 3.32, while for 15*25 mm plastic strips, it
increased from 1.97 to 3.85 [3].
Comparison of CBR values at different percentages and sizes of strip.
(Clear Engineering and technology Volume 7 April 2022.)
Eduvest – Journal of Universal Studies
Volume 1 Number 12, December 2021
1.583 http://eduvest.greenvest.co.id
The density of the soil can be reduced by adding a certain plastic strip to it. A
light material (such as soil or sand) is useful to decrease worker fatigue by using less of it.
Plastic can also improve the soil's ability to deliver nutrients and retain water, as it can help
retain moisture. A study demonstrated that plastic waste strips can be utilised in the
settlement of earth banks to reduce fine material substances in the dirt, and therefore,
improve its soundness. As a result, the earth particles diminish and the volume of the
material diminishes as the waste plastic strips replace fine earth particles. Due to this, the
earth's swell tension is reduced. Numerous structural design works, such as lightweight
bank development, soil adjustment, and slope stability, can be improved through the use of
plastic strips [4].
When soils are balanced out with fibers, the applied burden is to be moved to the
frictional point of interaction between soil particles and fibers. Similarly, the soil particles
are connected to the filaments through gratings as fiber content increases, thereby
increasing the connection points between soil particles and filaments. The soil particles
embracing the filaments are unable to change their positions, improving dirt union
respectively. As well as maintaining more loads and increasing the soil's UCS, fiber's high
elasticity makes it possible to endure more loads. In addition, because PE has a higher
degree of elasticity than PP, soils settled with PE exhibit a higher UCS than soils settled
with PP. To improve the compressive and elasticity of clayey soils, the researchers used
polyethylene waste material (water bottles) as filaments. Among the fiber contents, 0.4%,
0.8%, and 1.2% were found in the dirt dry weight, with fiber lengths ranging from 1.0 cm
to 2.0 cm to 3.0 cm. It was observed that the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of
dirt balanced out with fiber was higher than its elasticity. In terms of fiber content and fiber
length, 1.2% and 2.0 cm were ideal [5]
It is also common for unpaved and cleared streets to appear poor after
rainstorms. An attempt has been made in the review to demonstrate how recycled HDPE
can be used as soil support for the design of sub grade soil properties. The strips obtained
from squandering plastic of various aspects were blended haphazardly with the soil to
determine the amount of HDPE strips. Using the ratio of length to width of the strip, they
conducted tests and deciphered the information. Added to that, the scholar pointed out that
since most plastic sacks are made from high-thickness polyethylene material, therefore the
amount of plastic material in the environment is rapidly expanding [6].
!
Rajaa!Mohamed!Sager,!Saeeda!Omran!Furgan!
The Use Of Plastic Waste To Improve The Properties Of Clay Soil For Use In Paving
Roads 1.584
Effect of by-product steel slag on the engineering properties of clay soils.
(Testing program of the stabilised clay soil Volume 29, Issue 4, October 2017, Pages
394-399)
CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, we can say that paving roads with substances such as asphalt,
concrete, and brick is the most significant way to make the roads less vulnerable to
annihilation in extreme weather circumstances such as rain and snow. Moreover, the roads
are not impervious to damage but they can tolerate the extreme weather conditions as
argued by experts. It is remarkably effective to strengthen and protect roads by using plastic
waste as paving. In order to produce quality paving materials, the soil in which the paving
product is created is a key element. Similarly, suitable paving materials are produced when
the soil is of sufficient quality and quantity for the area, they are being used. Rainy areas,
for example, need soils that can withstand the absorption of water and remain stable despite
these conditions. Using plastic waste in combination with clay soil, to make paving material
appropriate for this type of application. In addition to improving the soil quality, plastic
waste helps to improve the soil by filling in the gaps in the soil. In this way, clay soil
properties can be improved and plastic waste can be recycled.
REFERENCES
[1] S. A. Naeini and R. Z. Moayed, “Effect of Plasticity Index and Reinforcement on the
CBR Value of Soft Clay,” Iust.ac.ir, 2022. http://ijce.iust.ac.ir/article-1-217-en.PDF
(accessed Jun. 04, 2022).
Eduvest – Journal of Universal Studies
Volume 1 Number 12, December 2021
1.585 http://eduvest.greenvest.co.id
[2] S. A. Oljira, “Utilizing Solid Plastic Wastes in Subgrade Pavement Layers to Reduce
Plastic Environmental Pollution,” Cleaner Engineering and Technology, p. 100438,
Feb. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.clet.2022.100438.
[3] F. I. Shalabi, I. M. Asi, and H. Y. Qasrawi, “Effect of by-product Steel Slag on the
Engineering Properties of Clay Soils,” Journal of King Saud University - Engineering
Sciences, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 394–399, Oct. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.jksues.2016.07.004.
[4] A. K. Choudhary, K. S. Gill, and J. N. Jha, “Utilisation of Plastic Wastes for Improving
the Sub-grades in Flexible Pavement,” Research Gate, May 2010.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269141822_Utilization_of_Plastic_Wastes
_for_Improving_the_Sub-Grades_in_Flexible_Pavements
[5] H. J. A. Hassan, J. Rasul, and M. Samin, “Effects of Plastic Waste Materials on
Geotechnical Properties of Clayey Soil,” Transportation Infrastructure
Geotechnology, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1007/s40515-020-00145-4.
[6] V. Mallikarjuna, “Soil Stabilization by Using Plastic Waste,” International Journal of
Research in Engineering and Technology, vol. 05, no. 05, pp. 391–394, May 2016,
doi: 10.15623/ijret.2016.0505074.