ORGANIC-TAINTED MINERAL SOILS PART I: GEOTECHNICAL TREATABILITY THROUGH NEUTRALISATION DEMAND
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjoest.v7i3.298Keywords:
reactive organics, binder efficiency, pavement subgrade, chemical conditioning, treatment uniformityAbstract
Organic-tainted mineral soils (OTMS) occupy an intermediate geotechnical condition between conventional mineral soils and peat: they remain physically workable and potentially suitable for in-situ stabilisation, but reactive organic constituents can consume alkalinity, bind calcium, passivate mineral surfaces and suppress durable cementitious bonding. This critical review defines the geotechnical territory of OTMS and advances neutralisation demand as the governing variable for treatability. Neutralisation demand is defined as the minimum chemical input required overcoming organic acidity and buffering, satisfying initial calcium uptake and establishing a sustained pore-fluid environment favourable to binder hydration and subsequent structural cementation. Evidence from cement-, lime- and alternative cementation systems indicates that treatment response depends on organic reactivity, calcium availability, alkalinity retention, mineralogy, moisture conditions and pore-fluid chemistry rather than organic quantity alone. The proposed framework separates chemical input consumed by organic interference from the binder capacity remaining available for structural strengthening. This distinction explains why conventional binder escalation may produce inconsistent strength development when the underlying chemical demand remains unresolved. The framework further identifies an optimum chemical window between insufficient treatment, where organic interference continues to restrict cementation, and excessive treatment, where adverse chemical and pore-structural effects may initiate deterioration. Accordingly, OTMS treatability should be evaluated through chemical compatibility, sustained binder availability and road-relevant engineering performance rather than fixed organic-content thresholds alone. The proposed neutralisation-first framework provides a mechanism-based basis for distinguishing treatable shallow mineral-organic soils from materials requiring more extensive ground improvement. A companion paper translates this conceptual framework into measurable laboratory criteria, controlled binder comparisons, road-relevant performance verification and field-based acceptance decisions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 CHEE MING CHAN, ADNAN ZAINORABIDIN, SALINA SANI, SHERLIZA ZAINI SOORIA, ROMZIAH AZIT, HIONG MUI KUEH
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