Treatment and reuse of polluted heavy metal containing marginal soils with the use of Solidification and Stabilization technology

Since the industrial revolution, the world has witnessed a widespread increase in the use of land for the purposes associated with manufacture. Mining and quarrying of natural resources, importation of manufactured materials and the conversion of natural resources to a value product constitute the basis of any manufacturing procedure. However, what is often associated with industrial activity is the generation of waste products such as solid, liquid and gas by-products which in their turn have resulted in the contamination of water, air and land, mainly in heavy industrialized countries. The central proposition of this research IS that the planning and implementation of solidification and stabilization (S/S) technology, as an alternative form of remediating heavy metal contaminated soils, is pivotal to the strengthening of bond between sustainability and waste management. An experimental program was designed for this project and has been conducted entirely at , both Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Strathclyde. The experimental program for solidified and stabilized soils consisted of the combination of one primary binder (portland cement) at various quantities (5%, 7.5% and 10% wt%) and one inorganic secondary binder (zeolites, chlorides and alkalis) at 1.4,2.8 and 4.2% wt%. The authenticity of this project lies on the fact that individual mix-designs (Copper, Zinc, and Nickel contaminated soils) provided a better insight on the role of ordinary Portland Cement in S/S technology, while individual sub-mixtures allowed the investigation of zeolites, chlorides and alkalis in heavy metal retention mechanism. Finally, the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated whether, the treated material has the adequate strength to support pressure when used in small scale construction projects or/and when disposed to landfill. This project work addresses an environmental issue faced by industries, over the disposal and treatment of Copper, Zinc and Nickel contaminated soil. The approach presented in this work offers a beneficial and safe solution to this problem.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo