Influence of Freeze–Thaw Cycles and Binder Dosage on the Engineering Properties of Compound Solidified/Stabilized Lead-Contaminated Soils

The solidification/stabilization (S/S) method is the usual technique for the remediation of soils polluted by heavy metal in recent years. However, freeze–thaw cycles, an important physical process producing weathering of materials, will affect the long-term stability of engineering characteristics in solidified contaminated soil. In addition, it is still questionable whether using large dosages of binders can enhance the engineering properties of solidified/stabilized contaminated soils. In this study, the three most commonly used binders (i.e., cement, quicklime, and fly ash), alone and mixed in different ratios, were thus added to lead-contaminated soil in various dosages, making a series of cured lead-contaminated soils with different dosages of binders. Afterward, unconfined compression strength tests, direct shear tests, and permeability tests were employed on the resulting samples to find the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), secant modulus ( E 50 ), internal friction angle ( φ ), cohesion ( c ), and permeability coefficient ( k ) of each solidified/stabilized lead-contaminated soil after 0, 3, 7, and 14 days of freeze–thaw cycles. This procedure was aimed at evaluating the influence of freeze–thaw cycle and binder dosage on engineering properties of solidified/stabilized lead-contaminated soils. Results of our experiments showed that cement/quicklime/fly ash could remediate lead-contaminated soils. However, it did not mean that the more the dosage of binder, the better the curing effect. There was a critical dosage. Excessive cementation of contaminated soils caused by too much binder would result in loss of strength and an increase in permeability. Furthermore, it was found that UCS, E 50 , φ , c , and k values generally decreased with the increase in freeze–thaw cycle time—a deterioration effect on the engineering characteristics of solidified lead-contaminated soils. Avoiding excessive cementation, 2.5% cement or quicklime was favorable for the value of E 50 while a 2.5% fly ash additive was beneficial for the k value. It is also suggested that if the freeze–thaw cycle continues beyond the period supported by excessive cementation, such a cycle will rapidly destroy the original structure of the soil and create large cracks, leading to an increase in permeability. The results also showed that the contaminated soils with a larger dosage of binders exhibited more significant deterioration during freeze–thaw cycles.