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Subgrade Improvement with the Addition of Molten Polyethylene Bags in Clay Soils
Summary
Researchers in Peru tested whether melted-down plastic bags could be mixed into clay soil to make it stronger for building roads — a clever way to recycle plastic waste while fixing a common construction problem. The plastic worked reasonably well in sandier soils but barely helped in soils with lots of clay, meaning this isn't a universal fix. One thing worth watching: mixing plastic into soil that roads and buildings sit on could eventually break down into microplastics that seep into surrounding soil and water, so more research on long-term environmental and health effects would be useful before this becomes widespread.
This research analyzes the improvement of clay soil subgrades by adding recycled molten polyethylene bags, offering a technical and ecological option for the construction of urban roads in Huancayo, Peru, where clay soils often weaken road structures. We will stabilize and improve their resistance using molten polyethylene bags as a stabilizer and measure their effect on soil resistance, in accordance with current standards. We analyzed three types of soil, verifying their physical and mechanical properties with methods such as Particle Size Distribution (PSD), Atterberg Limits, USCS and AASHTO classification, Modified Proctor Test(MPT) and California Bearing Capacity (CBR) test, and then incorporated molten polyethylene bags in proportions of 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% to observe the behavior of the soil at 95% and 100% of its maximum dry density. The results showed that the gradual addition of plastic increased the CBR index for soils with less than 60% fines and a plasticity between 14% and 17%, and that with a compaction of 95% and a dosage of 1.5%, the CBR reached approximately 6.71%, representing an improvement of around 15% compared to the untreated soil. However, in soils with more than 70% fines, where clay predominates, the improvement was minimal and did not meet the minimum standards. These results contribute to establishing technical guidelines for the use of this additive in urban road projects.