The objective of this paper was to analyze the influence of grits thermal treatment on the mechanical strength of soil-grits mixtures. The laboratory testing program included: (i) two residual gneiss soils from the Zona da Mata, Northern Minas Gerais; (ii) waste from the cellulose industry, namely grits, composed by non-hydrated lime and sand, among others by-products; (iii) grits samples submitted to thermal treatment in a muffle at the temperatures of 600, 700, 800 and 900 ºC before soils-grits specimens preparation; (iv) soils-grits specimens containing 24% of treated grits in relation to soil dry unit compacted at the intermediate and modified Proctor compaction test, and cured during 7 and 28 days in a moist room at the temperature of 22 ºC and relative humidity close to 100 %; and (iv) complete immersion of cured specimens in water (4 hours) before testing for compressive strength using the unconfined compression test. Data from the laboratory testing program support that: (i) thermal treatment produced more reactive grits samples; and (ii) best soils-grits mechanical responses were associated to grits treatment temperatures of 800 and 900 ºC for soil 1, and to 800 ºC for soil 2.
Soils stabilization; grits waste; thermal treatment
