Economical Treatment of Dredged Material to Facilitate Beneficial Use

Abstract

Abstract : Growing constraints on conventional dredged material disposal are motivating movement toward more sustainable alternatives. Given the lack of universal beneficial use criteria, even the low levels of contaminants typically found in navigation channel sediments may limit or preclude their beneficial use. Intensive treatment to remove or destroy contaminants in such sediments is typically too costly to be a viable alternative within the context of navigation dredging; economical, low tech sediment and water treatment processes are needed. Recent developments in the area of sediment treatment were assessed through an extensive literature search, and promising technologies were identified. Potentially high value research areas were also identified, to inform subsequent bench and pilot testing. Geochemical contaminant controls and modeling, passive water treatment methods for colloid and ammonia removal, H2S controls, in-CDF biodegradation, aerobic/anaerobic composting, phase specific physical separation, low temperature thermal treatment, reactive geobags, and coupled geochemical/stabilization process modeling were areas identified as deserving of additional research investment.