Compressibility of cement-stabilized zinc-contaminated high plasticity clay

The presence of heavy metals at high concentrations (percent levels) in soils has been a growing concern to human health and the environment, and the cement stabilization is considered to be an effective and practical approach to remediate such soils. The compressibility of such stabilized soils is an important consideration for redevelopment of the remediated sites for building and/or roadway construction. This paper investigates the effects of high levels of zinc concentration on the compressibility of natural clay stabilized by cement additive. Several series of laboratory compression (oedometer) tests were conducted on the soil specimens prepared with the zinc concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 %, cement contents of 12 and 15 %, and curing time of 28 days. The results show that the yield stress and compression index at the post-yield state decrease with an increase in the zinc concentration regardless of the cement content. The observed results are attributed to the decrease in the cement hydration of the soil. Overall, this study demonstrates that the cementation structure of the soils is weakened, and the compressibility increases with the elevated zinc concentration, particularly at relatively high levels of zinc concentration.