Abstract:
Cassava peels are produced as a waste from cassava, which are disposed into landfills.
These become an environmental problem; therefore the use of cassava peel ash
(CPA) as a soil stabilizer must be encouraged. This study investigates the effects of
CPA and quarry dust (QD) on the engineering properties of Akwadum soil behavior,
using compaction test, Atterberg limit, and California bearing ratio (CBR). These
properties were compared with those of unstabilized soil (original) and soil stabilized
with CPA and QD. The natural soil was obtained from a borrowed pit at Akwadum
near Koforidua at an average depth of 0.8 m which is meant for road works. This soil
sample was stabilized with CPA and QD at 5%, 10% and 20% respectively. The com
paction, California bearing ratio and Atterberg limit test were performed on the sta
bilized soils to thoroughly evaluate them. The results indicate that increasing the
percentage of CPA to the natural soil decreases the maximum dry density at increas
ing optimum water content. The addition of QD at higher percentage increases the
maximum dry density at decreasing optimum water content. The results reveal that
both QD and CPA improve the engineering properties of the soil with QD providing
better results.
