Effect of curing strength in lime – coffee husk ash mixture on clay

Abstract

Coffee husk is a fibrous material obtained from coffee beans. It is a waste from coffee industries. In order to reduce the disposal problem, utilization of waste in civil engineering works is very important. This study has been carried out to explore the utilization of coffee husk ash for improving properties of Kumarakom clay. Kumarakom clay is known to be very problematic in construction field. It is considered neither suitable for building houses nor for construction of roads. Coffee husk is a by-product of coffee roasting process. After removal of coffee beans, a huge amount of coffee husk is generated later, the ash obtained after burning of coffee husk i.e; Coffee Husk Ash (CHA) is used in this study. The Kumarakom clay can be stabilized with different percentages (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) of coffee husk ash and variation in strength can be determined by
Unconfined Compression Strength (UCS) test and proctor compaction test. The optimum percentage is obtained at 20% of CHA addition. Finally, the curing strength test is conducted for varying percentages of CHA – clay mix and optimum percentage of CHA – lime mix for about 7, 14, and 28 days.