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Exploring the Use of Rock Flour for Sustainable Peat Stabilisation

Bernal-Sanchez, Juan; Coll, Jamie; Leak, James; Barreto, Daniel

Authors

Jamie Coll



Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the mechanical behaviour of peat stabilised with glacial rock flour for foundation construction. Peat, a natural organic soil, presents challenges for construction due to its high compressibility and low bearing capacity. This is an especially acute problem in Scotland (UK) where 25% of the territory is covered by peat. Glacial rock flour, a fine-grained powder produced by the crushing of stone in the construction industry, has been identified as a potential stabiliser for peat. This study evaluates the effect of varying percentages of glacial rock flour on the mechanical properties of peat, considering the unconfined compression strength (UCS). The findings indicate a significant improvement in UCS28 of the mixture with the addition of up to 15% rock flour. Hence, it is concluded that peat stabilisation with glacial rock flour can be an alternative, cost-effective, and sustainable solution to the typically used excavate-and-replace technique in peatlands in the UK.

Citation

Bernal-Sanchez, J., Coll, J., Leak, J., & Barreto, D. (2024, February). Exploring the Use of Rock Flour for Sustainable Peat Stabilisation. Presented at Geo-Congress 2024, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (Published)
Conference Name Geo-Congress 2024
Start Date Feb 25, 2024
End Date Feb 28, 2024
Online Publication Date Feb 22, 2024
Publication Date Feb 22, 2024
Deposit Date Mar 7, 2024
Publicly Available Date Mar 11, 2024
Publisher American Society of Civil Engineers
Pages 450-460
Book Title Geo-Congress 2024: Soil Improvement, Sustainability, Geoenvironmental, and Cold Regions Engineering
DOI https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784485330.046
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3534671

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