Characterization of Dredged Sand from Chilka Lake as a Geo Material With and Without Biopolymer

Abstract

Chilika lake is a brackish water lagoon as well as the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world, of Odisha state on the east coast of India covering an area of over 1,160 km2. The size of the lagoon is decreasing over the years due to large siltation of the rivers joining Chilika lake and dredging is required to deal with siltation. Utilization of dredging sand from Chilika for construction purposes is a sustainable method to deal with siltation. In the present study, the dredged sand was collected from Chilika lake (Satapada site) and is characterized as an alternate geo material. The chemical, mineralogical, morphology are also studied. The particle shape parameters analysis was done using optical microscope. The results indicate that Chilika sand is poorly graded sandy soil with of 99.9% sand with a specific gravity of 2.64, optimum moisture content of 10.3% and pH 7.72. An effort was also made to use biopolymer for stabilization of sand while using this as barrier in the lake. It was found that biopolymer, guar gum is effective in imparting shear strength of sand. The present study indicates that the Chilika sand can be used in various construction works as well as foundation and fill materials. The use of biopolymer is a sustainable method for stablilization. The present study will help in effective utilization of the dredged sand; thereby it will not only help in reclamation of the Chilka lake, but also save the natural resources.