Evaluation of the geotechnical engineering properties of soil-biochar mixtures
Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Biochar is a carbon-rich product that is created by heating organic biomass in the absence of or little oxygen. Past studies have investigated the effects of biochar addition, to the nutrient removal and saturated conductivity properties of soils. However, not many studies have been devoted to studying the effect of biochar addition on strength and volume change properties. In this work, an experimental program is designed and run in the laboratory to study the strength and volume change properties of a silty sand. Differing biochar percentages, by volume, are added to the soil and relative comparisons of the observations are made. Results are interpreted and discussed in terms of biochar’s potential as a viable geo-material for engineering applications other than those that have been scrutinized. It was found that the addition of biochar increases the soil mixture’s compressibility and cohesion. Using the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, it was found that soil’s shear strength increased with the percentage of biochar amendment. Overall assessment of results indicated the viability of biochar as a geo-environmental amendment in engineering applications.