| Abstract: | Olivine sand is a natural mineral,which,when added to soil,can improve the soil's mechanical properties while also sequester carbon dioxide(CO_2)from the surrounding environment.The originality of this paper stems from the novel two-stage approach.In the first stage,natural carbonation of olivine and carbonation of olivine treated soil under different CO_2 pressures and times were investigated.In this stage,the unconfined compression test was used as a tool to evaluate the strength performance.In the second stage,details of the installation and performance of carbonated olivine columns using a laboratory-scale model were investigated.In this respect,olivine was mixed with the natural soil using the auger and the columns were then carbonated with gaseous CO_2.The unconfined compressive strengths of soil in the first stage increased by up to 120% compared to those of the natural untreated soil.The strength development was found to be proportional to the CO_2 pressure and carbonation period.Microstructural analyses indicated the presence of magnesite on the surface of carbonated olivinetreated soil,demonstrating that modified physical properties provided a stronger and stiffer matrix.The performance of the carbonated olivine-soil columns,in terms of ultimate bearing capacity,showed that the carbonation procedure occurred rapidly and yielded a bearing capacity value of 120 k Pa.Results of this study are of significance to the construction industry as the feasibility of carbonated olivine for strengthening and stabilizing soil is validated.Its applicability lies in a range of different geotechnical applications whilst also mitigates the global warming through the sequestration of CO_2. |
