Browsing by Author "Venkata Rao, M.V."

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    Furfural-Extracted Corncob Ash: A New Geomaterial for Sustainable Construction
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2024) Thotakura, V.; Venkata Rao, M.V.; Sunil, B.M.; Chaudhary, B.
    Nowadays, globally rapid increase in the production and demand of furfural oil due to its many viable properties and best alternative to petroproducts. Furfural-extracted corncob ash (FECA) is a residue generated from the furfural production industry. However, during the furfural extraction process, the bulk of corncob ash was developed, and dumping the residue poses an environmental threat. This paper presents the efficacy of the FCEA as a geomaterial in construction. A series of tests was conducted on FCEA blended clays to determine free swell index, compaction, and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests. Maximum dry densities and CBR values were significantly improved with an increase in FCEA content. The test results indicate that the FECA is a desirable material for construction activities. The paper also explores the potential selection of better geomaterial for construction. Because in most cases, the choice of additives predominantly relies on the engineering properties of the material. Such an exposition may cause an increased cost of the project due to the cost of the selected geomaterial. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.
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    Utilization of GGBS-Based Geopolymer Lateritic Soils for Sustainable Pavements
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Thotakura, T.V.; Sunil, B.M.; Venkata Rao, M.V.
    Nowadays geopolymers have been recognized as eco-friendly materials as well as potential replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and lime, which are cementitious materials with three-dimensional tetrahedral frameworks of Al and Si. This paper presents experimental investigation on compaction characteristics such as optimum moisture content (OMC) and maximum dry density (MDD) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of a lateritic soil chemically altered with alkali activator along with precursor as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) with varying amounts of GGBS content. GGBS was added to the lateritic soil up to 30% in increments of 5%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was undertaken on the geopolymer blends to know the micro-structural behaviour and chemical compounds. The results revealed that the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the GGBS-based geopolymer soils improved with addition of GGBS content. The micro-structural analysis confirmed the both pozzolanic reaction and ionic exchange takes place in the alkali-activated lateritic blends. The impetus for the utilization of geopolymers can be consuming GGBS in large quantities in their synthesis with the potential to reduce the use of high carbon footprint ordinary Portland cement. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.