Sustainable stabilization/solidification of arsenic-containing soil by blast slag and cement blends

Jiang shan Li, Liang Chen, Baojian Zhan, Lei Wang, Chi Sun Poon, Daniel C.W. Tsang

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring trace element that may pose a threat to human health and the ecosystem, while effective remediation and sustainable reuse of As-containing soil is a challenge. This study investigated the geoenvironmental characteristics of a geogenic As-rich soil, and green binders (ground granulated blast slag (GGBS) and cement blends) were employed for the stabilization/solidification (S/S) of the soil under field-relevant conditions. Results indicate that the use of 10% binder could effectively immobilize As and chemical stabilization/physical encapsulation jointly determined the leaching characteristics of the S/S soils. The geogenic As could be effectively immobilized at the pH range of 5.5–6.5. The increasing use of GGBS enhanced the strength of the 28-d cured S/S soils because of long-term pozzolanic reaction, but also slightly improved the As leachability. Besides, the moisture content of the contaminated soils should be suitably adjusted to allow for desirable compaction of S/S soils, which resulted in high compressive strength and low of As leachability. Results show that soil moisture content of 20% was the most appropriate, which resulted in the highest strength and relatively lower As leaching. In summary, this study presents a sustainable S/S binder for recycling As-contaminated soil by using a combination of cement and GGBS.

Original languageEnglish
Article number129868
JournalChemosphere
Volume271
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2021

Keywords

  • Arsenic immobilization
  • Green and sustainable remediation
  • Low-carbon binders
  • Soil remediation and recycling
  • Stabilization/solidification

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • General Chemistry
  • Pollution
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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