ELECTRO-OSMOTIC CONSOLIDATION STUDIES ON PEAT OF

ABSTRACT: Electro-osmosis is a well known technique for the stabilization of soft fine grained soils. Peat deposits are abundant in the Sarawak state of Malaysia. Geosynthetics products called electrokinetic geosynthetics (EKG), which are electrically conductive, have been developed recently. Recent studies have shown the potential for the application of electrokinetic geosynthetics in the electro-osmotic stabilization of soft clays, mining tailings and sludges. The effectiveness of electro-osmosis in the stabilization of peat has not been investigated in detail. A laboratory experiment was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of electro-osmotic stabilization of peat found in the North Sarawak region. Commercially available electric vertical drain was used to induce the electro-osmotic effect. The results showed that the electro-osmosis treatment induced significant drainage of water and stabilized the peat bed. It was also possible to represent the surface profile as a polynomial curve. 1