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Effect of lime on the cementitious properties of two soils rich in swelling clays: montmorillonite-rich bentonite and stevensite-rich bentonite

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2025

Achraf Harrou Open the ORCID record for Achraf Harrou [Opens in a new window] ,
Dounia Azerkane ,
Meriam El Ouahabi ,
Hicham Nasri ,
Nathalie Fagel Open the ORCID record for Nathalie Fagel [Opens in a new window]  and
ElKhadir Gharibi
Achraf Harrou*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment, Team of Mineral Solid Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco Geology and Sustainable Mining Institute (GSMI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Hay Moulay Rachid, Ben Guerir, Morocco
Dounia Azerkane
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment, Team of Mineral Solid Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
Meriam El Ouahabi
Affiliation:
Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
Hicham Nasri
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment, Team of Mineral Solid Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
Nathalie Fagel
Affiliation:
Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
ElKhadir Gharibi
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment, Team of Mineral Solid Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
*
Corresponding author: Achraf Harrou; Email: harrou201@gmail.com
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Abstract

Swelling soils, particularly those rich in smectite, present significant challenges to civil engineering due to their shrinking–swelling behaviour. Lime stabilization is a commonly used practice to address this, but the reactivity of smectite minerals in an alkaline limestone environment differs widely. This study investigates the reactivity of two Moroccan smectite-rich clays – montmorillonite-dominated bentonite and stevensite/saponite-rich bentonite – when treated with aerial lime. Through mineralogical, microstructural and mechanical analyses, this study highlights the distinct behaviour of montmorillonite, which reacts with lime to form calcium silicate hydrate gels, compared to the inert response of stevensite/saponite. Despite its low pozzolanic activity, stevensite-bentonite demonstrates greater mechanical strength, reaching 2.5 MPa in the S3 mixture (90% stevensite-bentonite and 10% lime). This strength is attributed to the formation of calcite through the de-dolomitization of dolomite. The findings reveal different stabilization mechanisms between dioctahedral and trioctahedral smectites, offering new insights for soil stabilization strategies involving these smectite types.

Keywords

Bentonitecalcium silicate hydrateettringitepozzolanic reactionstevensite-bentonite

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Type
Article
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Clay Minerals , First View , pp. 1 - 16
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

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