Abstract
Organic soil deposits are often unsuitable for safely bearing structural loads without proper soil stabilization measures. Sustainable methods of soil stabilization are gaining attention, with nano-additives showing promising effects owing to their high reactivity and better soil interaction. The present study attempts to investigate the feasibility of treating a low-plasticity organic silt soil using chitosan nanoparticle (CNP) additive, a crustacean polysaccharide. The modifications in the soil plasticity index (PI), compaction, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), permeability and consolidation properties were studied for 0.5 to 2.5% CNP addition, considering the curing period durations of between 0 and 90 days. Results showed that 1% CNP addition produced a better outcome in terms of geoengineering properties. For instance, compared to the untreated soil, the compacted 1% CNP-treated soil achieved a 146% UCS gain and 69% permeability coefficient reduction for 90-day curing, with negligible change in the coefficient of consolidation. Whereas 2.5% CNP-treated soil exhibited a comparatively smaller UCS gain (of 100%), along with a 59% permeability coefficient reduction for 90-day curing. SEM analysis indicated that the CNP additive enhanced the geomechanical properties by forming a fibrous network in the soil matrix. Finally, a critical discussion has been presented on the aspects of necessity of nano-based soil stabilization, cost analysis and material degradation effects to understand the suitability of the technique for practical applications.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Vice-Chancellor of SASTRA Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, India, for supporting the presented research with the necessary laboratory facilities.
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Govindarajan Kannan – Methodology, Investigation, Writing—Original DraftEvangelin Ramani Sujatha – Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Writing—Review & EditingBrendan C. O’Kelly – Visualization, Writing—Review & Editing.
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Kannan, G., Sujatha, E.R. & O’Kelly, B.C. Investigation on geoengineering properties of organic silt soil treated with chitosan nanoparticle additive. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39151-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39151-w
