Hydro-chemical influence on soil-water characteristic behavior of laterite-bentonite mixture

• Hydro-Chemical Factors and Water Retention of laterite-bentonite mixtures. • Analyze the Calibration curve of suction measurement and compare with ASTM existing Accuracy • Minimum number of tests required to achieve an error margin of ±10% at a 95% confidence level, adhering to ASTM standards . • Investigate the suction properties of the mixtures, particularly at low suction ranges, and examines how varying MDD, initial water content, and bentonite percentages affect these properties. • Implications for Landfill Management and improvement of landfill cover system for better environmental protection This study investigates the suction characteristics of a laterite-bentonite mixture intended for use as a soil cover system for landfill liners and cutoff walls. It examines the impact of varying dry densities (1.5g/ c m 3 ,1.6g/ c m 3 ) and bentonite content (3%,5%,7%) on suction, comparing the influence of distilled water and chemicals ( N a C l , C a C l 2 ) on the mixture's physical and microstructural properties. The findings demonstrate that the bentonite-laterite mixes suction properties at higher densities with initial water, reducing soil mechanical strength. The research also highlights the influence of chemicals within a small suction range and the substantial impact of dry densities. Additionally, the study shows how certain chemicals and flocculation behaviour affect the suction values by depicting the change in microstructure due to different chemical effects. With WP4C & SEM results, it is observed that higher water content values do not alter suction, irrespective of bentonite percentage and maximum dry density.