كلية الهندسة
Assistant Professor Firas Jawad Kazem, a lecturer at the faculty of engineering – University of Maysan, participated as a member of the committee discussing the master’s thesis of the student Sondos Karim Mutasher on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at the faculty of engineering – Al-Mustansiriya University / Department of Civil Engineering.
The thesis was entitled “Improving the geometric properties of swollen soils by adding polymers”, and aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of biopolymers in improving the engineering properties of swollen soils. Four different types of biopolymers were used, including a natural polymer – a gel extracted manually from cotton seeds – in addition to three synthetic polymers purchased from the local market: pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose, and guar gum.
These additives were introduced into the swelling soil at different dry weight ratios, and a series of laboratory tests were conducted on both treated and untreated samples. The tests included the standard Proctor test, Atterberg limits, one-dimensional compression, unconfined compression resistance, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray analysis, swelling test, and wetting and drying cycles.
The results indicated a clear improvement in soil properties with all biopolymers. The maximum dry density decreased, while the optimum moisture content increased with higher proportions of polymeric additives. Atterberg limits also showed different changes depending on the polymer type: cotton gel and pectin caused a slight decrease, while guar gum and carboxymethyl cellulose resulted in an increase.
Swelling potential and swelling pressure significantly decreased, while unconfined compressive strength improved with all types of biopolymers. The study demonstrated that the addition of cotton gel, pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose, and guar gum effectively enhances the engineering properties of swollen soils, each showing distinct performance characteristics and confirming their potential as sustainable and environmentally friendly soil improvement solutions.
The discussion committee included Medhat Shaker Medhat (Chairman), Muhammad Hussein Kazem (Member), Firas Jawad Kazem (Member), and Shaima Hassan Fadel (Member and Supervisor).
After listening to the student’s defense and reviewing the advanced results and experiments, the committee decided to accept the thesis and grant it an excellent rating.
This participation reflects the active role of faculty of engineering lecturers at the University of Maysan in promoting academic openness and strengthening scientific cooperation with Iraqi universities, thereby contributing to the exchange of expertise and the consolidation of the research process in Iraq.
