Geotechnical Characterization of Water Treatment Sludge for Liner Material Production and Soft Soil Reinforcement

Abstract

A water treatment sludge (WTS) was characterized in order to evaluate if its properties would be suitable for use as liner of earthworks or for strengthening a clay soil. A WTS and a clayey soil was characterized in terms of granulometry, cumulative volumes, specific surface, density, plastic limit, liquid limit, water content, hydraulic conductivity, and characteristics of compaction (optimal water content and dry density). This study aimed to exhibit and evaluate these investigated parameters of WTS, soft soil and mixed proportions between the materials for liners’ material production while evaluating soft soils’ reinforcement feasibility. The results have shown WTS’s contribution with its fine granulometry and compaction characteristics, indicating filling properties and possible feasibility as soft soils additions for liners’ material production while being applicable for soils‘ reinforcements, corroborating with existing literature on the subject. Thus, the currently developed investigation has exposed WTS as a potential addition for these applications while also attending society’s new demands towards a more sustainable future.

Macroscopic Mechanical Properties and Microstructure Characteristics of Solid Waste Base Capillary Retarded Field Covering Material

“…Bizarreta et al conducted a comprehensive analysis of the mineralogy and morphological characteristics of sludge in the leachate treatment plant, meticulously selecting sludge samples with varying moisture content for shrinkage tests. Subsequently, they investigated the potential utilization of sludge as a final cover material for specific landfills [18,19]. The study conducted by Rubinos et al investigated the geotechnical and hydraulic characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of various waste materials, including paper mill sludge, cement kiln dust, biochar modified clay, and red mud as constituents for landfill barriers.…”

Study on soft soil foundation treatment technology in industrial building construction

“…Under the action of strong external pressure, the SSF (soft soil foundation) of high-speed tunnel is easy to bend. In this case, it is easy to cause industrial buildings to sink faster because of gravity, which may affect the safety and stability of industrial buildings and pose different degrees of threat to people's life safety [2]. SSF treatment technology improves the safety and stability of engineering construction, and SSF treatment is the key to engineering construction.…”

Methodology to evaluate the behavior of water treatment sludge and other pasty waste as sustainable geomaterial: rheological and geotechnical approaches.

“…The WTS was declassified as solid waste and reclassified as a byproduct to be reused in the sewage treatment process as a reagent or incorporated in ceramic products (APA, 2020). Yet WTS was not reclassified as a byproduct to be reused as daily covers in sanitary landfills (ALBUQUERQUE, 2021).…”

“…Geotechnical and geoenvironmental characteristics of WTS have been investigated (AYDILEK;EDIL;FOX, 1999;BASIM, 1999;FERREIRA et al, 2019;RAGHU, 1997;O'KELLY, 2008O'KELLY, , 2016O'KELLY;QUILLE, 2009QUILLE, , 2010TSUGAWA;BOSCOV, 2018;HEMSI, 2018;TSUGAWA et al, 2019b;CORNWELL, 1998;XIA, 1994) and analyzed for potential application as geotechnical material (CASTILHOS JUNIOR;PRIM;PIMENTEL, 2012;MARCHIORI et al, 2021;BOSCOV, 2016;RAGHU et al, 1987;RODRIGUEZ et al, 2011;ROQUE;CARVALHO, 2006;SILVA, 2017;WANG et al, 1992). Results from these researches suggest that WTS has potential as geomaterial, insofar as treated to abate its fluid-like behavior.…”