Stabilizing Peat Soil Using Sawdust Ash

The aims of this research are to analyse the parameters of untreated peat soil and improve the engineering properties of the peat soil retrieved from MARDI Pontian in Johor, by using lightweight materials such as Sawdust Ash (SDA) so it meets the condition of construction. Due to rapid urbanisation, a large amount of saw dust is produced worldwide. The use of saw dust as ash in geotechnical applications is most likely a better solution compared to disposal in open areas or landfills. There were two types of soil used in this study such as organic peat soil (shallow) and mixed peat soil (moderate). In this investigation, sawdust ash (SDA) was employed as an admixture, and the stabilizer's percentage content was applied in 3.0% increments to both soils. Depending on the weight of the soil sample, the SDA has been applied in concentrations of 12%, 15% and 18%. Testing has been done on soil properties like bulk and dry density, moisture content, and the Atterberg limit. The optimum moisture content and maximum dry density of the soil samples were determined using the Standard Proctor test results in this investigation. Unconfined Compressive Strength has been used in determining the strength of this type of soil (UCS). The specific gravity ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 and the moisture content was 220% and 292% for untreated organic and mixed peat soil respectively, with an organic content of roughly 77% for both type of soil. The liquid Atterberg limit had a value of 230 and 240. By reason of the most of the peat does not satisfy the plastic limit, the test has been disregarded. The results of the compaction test indicated that adding SDA to peat soil decreased the maximum dry density (MDD), but increased strength. The study's findings show that adding 15% of Sawdust ash (SDA) to peat soil enhances its engineering qualities.