A Tiered Approach of Washing and Stabilization to Decontaminate and Recycle Dredged River Sediment

Although the demands for the dredging work have been increasing due to social and industrial reasons including national plan for restoration of four major rivers, environmental standards or management guidelines for the dredged river sediment are limited. The suggested environmental standard for the beneficial use of dredged river sediment consists of two levels, recyclable and concern, and includes eight contaminants such as metals and organic contaminants. The systematic approach to remediate dredged river sediment is also suggested. The system consists of both washing and stabilization processes with continuous multi particle separation. In the early stage, the sediments are separated into two particle sizes. The coarse-grained sediment over 0.075 mm, generally decontaminated with less trouble, follows normal washing steps and is sent for recycling. The fine-grained sediments under 0.075 mm are separated again at 0.025 mm. The particles bigger than this second separation point are treated in two ways, advanced washing for highly contaminated sediments and stabilization for less. The lab test results show that birnessite and apatite are most effective stabilizing agents among tested for Cd and Pb. The most fine residues, down-sized by continuous particle separation, are finally sent for disposal. The system is tested for metals in this study, but is expected to be effective for organic contaminants included in the environmental standard, such as PAH and PCE. The feasibility test on the field site will be followed.

세척과 안정화기술을 적용한 오염 준설토의 처리 및 재활용 시스템 개발