A Simplified Circularity Assessment Model for Soil Mixing Applications

Soil mixing is a versatile ground improvement technique that involves blending soils in-situ with a designed cementitious slurry to create stabilized geometries for foundation, earth retention and groundwater control solutions. As a design-build solution, practitioners can adapt the soil mixing process to the unique project requirements and site-specific geologic conditions, allowing for cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to traditional deep foundations and earth retention systems. While soil mixing requires less material than traditional solutions, resulting in an overall less carbon intensive product, cement is still typically required as part of the mixing process. Therefore, with the increased focus on sustainability in the construction industry, soil mixing practitioners must continue to reduce (and even eliminate) cement usage to further reduce embodied carbon while still providing a cost-effective and quality product. The following paper provides an example of a circularity assessment model for soil mixing to exemplify several ways practitioners can make the mixing process more environmentally conscious. Included are several innovative ideas that practitioners have used to reduce embodied carbon and improve participation in the circular economy. The objective is to illustrate a simple method to track the evolution and compilation of innovative ideas, lessons learned, and implemented processes that make soil mixing more efficient, cost-effective, and, most importantly, a more sustainable solution.