Title:
Encapsulation of Contaminated Soil in Concrete Mortar
Author(s):
Sreedevi Dawadi, M. R. Hansen, and Bruce W. Berdanier
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
101
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
347-352
Keywords:
compressive strength; mortar; soil; water-cement ratio
DOI:
10.14359/13419
Date:
9/1/2004
Abstract:
A mixture of arsenic-contaminated soil and mortar was developed to study the effect of arsenic-contaminated soil on the strength of mortar and the effectiveness of the mortar in containing the arsenic. Preliminary laboratory analyses were conducted with spiked soil samples to verify percent recovery of the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). Five parameters were chosen for variation during the investigation: amount of contaminated soil (as a weight percentage of sand content), concentration of arsenic in the contaminated soil, water-cement ratio (w/ c), amount of fly ash, and amount of silica fume. Compressive strength tests and TCLP tests were conducted on mortar samples. The test results showed that with the changes in the w/ c, silica fume, and fly ash contents in the presence of arsenic, the compressive strength slightly increased from 7 to 28 to 90 days but did not show any major effect on the TCLP tests. The TCLP results were at the level (3 to 20 ppb) predicted to be established as the Drinking Water Equivalent Level (DWEL) by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), indicating that mortar containing arsenic and contaminated soil may be a valid disposal solution.