Investigating the effect of nanoclay and contaminated soil on the Etterberg range of clay soils

Oil contamination of soil is a significant environmental issue that various countries, including Iran, have encountered. Leakage and the spread of oil contamination in different sectors of the oil industry, such as oil production areas, refineries, and transportation lines, lead to extensive soil contamination. The physicochemical processes occurring between the pollutant and the soil alter the geotechnical behavior of soil. Nanoparticles, due to their small size and filling properties, can enhance soil density and resistance. This article investigates the impact of nano-clay as a novel additive on gasoline-contaminated soils, revealing that with increasing contamination levels, both optimum moisture content and maximum dry density decrease. Moreover, higher contamination percentages result in reduced soil plasticity limits; as gasoline content increases, the Atterberg limits decrease. Hence, Therefore, in order to achieve greater soil resistance, adding different clay nanoparticles with percentages of 0.25, 0.5, 1 to the soil contaminated with diesel oil increases the amount of leaf ether and hardens the soil.