A sustainable bioengineering approach for enhancing black cotton soil stability using waste foundry sand
Padam Siva Kumar, Pramod Kumar, N. Manikandan, P Thejasree, Neeraj Sunheriya, Jayant Giri, Rajkumar Chadge, T. Sathish, Ajay Kumar, Muhammad Imam Ammarullah
Abstract
Abstract The disposal of waste foundry sand (WFS) poses environmental challenges, necessitating sustainable bioengineering solutions. This study investigates WFS as a stabilizer for black cotton soil (BCS) to enhance its geotechnical properties for construction. BCS mixed with 10%–40% WFS was evaluated through Atterberg limits, compaction, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests. The optimal 20% WFS reduced the liquid limit by 17.18%, decreased plasticity by 28%, and improved UCS by 157.45%. CBR values increased significantly, highlighting WFS’s potential in bioengineering applications for sustainable soil stabilization and environmental conservation.