Soil stabilization by groundnut pulp and coconut pulp

Soil is a base of structure, which actually supports the structure from beneath and distributes the load effectively. If the stability of the soil is not adequate then failure of structure occurs in form of settlement, cracks etc. Black cotton soil also known as expansive soil is more responsible for such situations and this is due to presence of montmorillonite mineral in it, which has ability to undergo large swelling and shrinkage. To overcome this, properties of soil must be improved by artificial means known as Soil Stabilization. The present study deals with stabilization of expansive soil using Groundnut Waste Pulp and Coconut Waste Pulp which are normally treated as waste materials after the extraction of oil. Coconut Pulp and Groundnut Pulp are blended with unmodified soil in varying percentages to obtain the optimum percentage of admixture required for soil stabilization. The results show that Maximum Dry Density and CBR values were improved after the addition of admixtures to the soil. In this comparative study laboratory tests such as Atterberg’s limits, Compaction tests and CBR tests were carried out for both modified and unmodified expansive soil