Engineering Properties of Cement Kiln Dust-Modified Soils in Western Washington State

The Portland cement manufacturing process produces considerable amount of cement kiln dust (CKD). While many facilities are able to reuse a significant portion of CKD in their production lines, a large percentage is removed as industrial waste and placed in landfills. Because of the large amount of material potentially available for use, and in an effort to cut disposal costs, alternative and beneficial uses for CKD need to be investigated. This study presents experimental results of the use of CKD in modification and stabilization of soils from the Aberdeen and Everett areas in the state of Washington. These soils are typically wet of the optimum water content and pose problems during geotechnical construction. CKD was added in percentages of 5, 10, 15, and 20% by dry weight of the soils. Laboratory tests, including drying rate of the soils, Atterberg limits, standard proctor and unconfined compressive strength were conducted. Results of the investigation showed significant improvement in drying rate and unconfined compressive strength of the CKD treated specimens as the percentage of CKD increased. It was also found that lower percentages of CKD can be used for modification purposes, whereas higher percentages of CKD can be used for both modification and stabilization purposes in geotechnical construction.