Assessment of Soils Developed on Various Formations in Maroua (Far North, Cameroon) for Production of Compressed Earth Bricks

Abstract

One of the most important materials in the building industry is earth brick. The current work focuses on the evaluation of Maroua soils and their potential usage in the manufacturing of Compressed earth blocks (CEB). Four sites (Frolina, Goubeou, Mambang, and Djoulgouf) were chosen to conduct this study. One sample was collected at each location. Physico-chemical and mineralogical characteristics were obtained by using particle size, Atterberg limits, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence analysis. Results revealed that sand is the most abundant fraction (36.9% - 50.5%) followed by clay (22.1% - 28.4%) and silt (11.3% - 23.8%). They mostly correspond to sandy soils. Liquid and Plastic limits range between 22.6% to 41% and 16.1% to 24.9% respectively and the plasticity index spans from 6.5% to 20.3%. Plasticity is low for Mambang and Djoulgouf and medium for Goubeou and Frolina soils. Mineralogical composition revealed the presence of smectite, kaolinite, and illite as clay minerals, associated with variable amounts of quartz, goethite, and K-feldspars. Geochemical analyses indicate a high silica content (47.1% - 72.8%) followed by alumina (10.9% - 22.8%) and iron (6.4% - 13.2%). The mineralogical, chemical and physical properties of the studied soils revealed that they are suitable for the manufacture of CEB according to the Cameroon Standards of CEB.