Bentonite is a highly absorbent clay with swelling tendency. Previous research shows that adding bentonite to soil increases soil moisture and water retention in the soil. It can also be used to improve and stabilize soil. In this thesis, we examined the influence of bentonite addition on the geomechanical properties of the soil taken from Ljubelj as a part of the ONEforest project. We examined the influence of bentonite addition on the ability to absorb and retain water, water permeability, suction, drained shear strength and compressibility. We compared the differences between the addition of calcium and activated sodium bentonite, considering that sodium bentonite has greater absorbtion and swelling abilities. The results show that the addition of bentonite increases the water absorption and decreases the water permeability of the soil with each addition of bentonite. Cohesion was increased, and shear angle was decreased with each addition, with the highest cohesion and the lowest shear angle being at the biggest addition of sodium bentonite. The addition of bentonite has no significant effect on suction and compressibility. The addition of bentonite has shown potential to improve water retention in soil at low doses, promoting the growth of plants that later provide resistance to soil erosion through their roots. Further research on bentonite is recommended, due to its cost-effectiveness and non-degradability, which distinguishes it from biopolymers, which lose their effectiveness over time.
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