CORN COB ASH-MODIFIED BLACK COTTON SOIL AS LINER AND COVER MATERIAL IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE CONTAINMENT FACILITIES
Keywords:
Black cotton soil (BCS); Corn cob ash (CCA); Moulding water content (MWC); Optimum moisture content (OMC); Unconfined compressive strength (UCS); Volumetric shrinkage strain (VSS); Waste containment; Hydraulic conductivity.Abstract
Black cotton soil (BCS) is a widely distributed expansive clay with poor engineering behaviour, characterised by high volume change, susceptibility to cracking and low strength, which renders it unsuitable in its natural state for infrastructure applications. Stabilisation with agro-industrial by-products offers a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional chemical admixtures. This study evaluates the geotechnical suitability of corn cob ash (CCA)-modified BCS for use as compacted liner and cover material in municipal solid waste containment facilities. The natural BCS and CCA blends (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16% by dry weight) were subjected to classification tests, standard compaction at three energy levels (British Standard Light — BSL; West African Standard — WAS; British Standard Heavy — BSH), unconfined compressive strength (UCS) at four moulding water contents (OMC − 2%, OMC, OMC + 2%, OMC + 4%), volumetric shrinkage strain (VSS), long-term hydraulic conductivity (k) permeated with municipal solid waste leachate. All tests followed BS 1377 (1990) and BS 1924 (1990) protocols. The natural BCS was classified as A-7-6 (13) (AASHTO) and CH (USCS). CCA addition reduced plasticity and modified compaction parameters. At 16% CCA compacted with BSH energy and within a moulding water content range of 13.5–15.5%, UCS values exceeded 200 kN/m², VSS values fell below 4%, and hydraulic conductivity remained at or below 1 × 10⁻7 cm/s satisfying all three liner design thresholds simultaneously. Black cotton soil blended with 16% CCA and compacted with not less than BSH compactive energy fulfils the principal design parameter requirements for use as liner and cover material in municipal waste containment facilities, offering a viable, low-cost, and ecologically responsible construction alternative in regions where CCA is abundantly available.References
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