Reclamation of fertilizer sludge pond: the Azomures case study in Romania

Abstract

Residues coming from the production of fertilizer of the Azomures company were released into 300.000 m2 pond close to Tirgu Mures in Romania. To limit the exposition of the pollutants with the close environment and population and to reduce the leakage of contaminated leachate into the river, the environmental remediation of the pond was conducted. An impermeable cover system consisting of the succession of soil and geosynthetic layers was constructed on top of the contaminated residues. Key point for the success of the project was the use of geosynthetic reinforcement to increase the bearing capacity of the system as well as the development of an innovative method for the construction of intermediate embankments. In this paper, the remediation work for Azomures pond in Romania from its initial concept to the design and execution is fully described and can be used as a reference for alternative solutions in similar projects.