Subgrade soil stabilization using marine debris: A literature review

Abstract

The use of different marine residues found in the great biodiversity of the Peruvian coast, such as crushed mollusk shells or fan shells, can be used as mechanical stabilizers for clay soils due to a change in granulometry. In this article, we reviewed 74 research studies indexed in different databases such as Scopus, Scielo, Ebsco, Proquest, Springer Link, and ScienceDirect, whose publication has not exceeded seven years, with the objective of carrying out a systematic review of the use, effect and influence of marine debris as soil stabilizers. For this purpose, the analyses of the mechanical and also physical properties of such mixtures in different marine debris were reviewed compared to the various types of stabilizers currently used. These evaluated results indicate, that the Pacific razor clam shell offers a lower bearing capacity compared to the fan shell when stabilizing clayey soil. However, the shredded output of both types of marine debris can meet the need for clay subgrade stabilization. Based on the review, it was determined that the addition of different types of shredded marine debris reduces water absorption by capillarity, increasing the resistance and bearing capacity of the soil.