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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Coastal Ocean Processes
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1466650
This article is part of the Research Topic INTERCOH 17: Cohesive Sediment Transport Processes View all 8 articles

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Underwater Consolidation of Dredged Sediment: A Case of Study for the Marker Wadden

Provisionally accepted
Maria Barciela-Rial Maria Barciela-Rial 1*Barend A. Van Den Bosch Barend A. Van Den Bosch 2Thijs Van Kessel Thijs Van Kessel 3Jasper Griffioen Jasper Griffioen 4Johan Winterwerp Johan Winterwerp 5
  • 1 HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands
  • 2 Van Oord, rotterdam, Netherlands
  • 3 Deltares (Netherlands), Delft, Netherlands
  • 4 Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands, Netherlands
  • 5 Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Dredged sediments, which are mud suspensions with concentrations exceeding the gelling point, are utilized in reclamation and Building with Nature projects. Beyond the gelling point, flocs occupy space and begin to form a network structure. This study investigates the impact of initial conditions, specifically the concentration above the gelling point and the stress state, on the consolidation of dredged sediment. The sediment from Lake Markermeer in the Netherlands was studied, specifically in the context of the construction of the Marker Wadden wetland. Material parameters were determined using two distinct experimental methods: settling columns and Seepage Induced Consolidation (SIC) tests. The differences observed between the two sets of material parameters suggest that the stress history and plastic deformation during mixing 1 Barciela-Rial et al.may influence the results. These effects were analyzed using a one-dimensional vertical (1DV) consolidation model. The computed profiles were then compared with the profiles measured using an Ultrasonic High Concentration Meter. An initial concentration of 558.1 g/l, achieved by remixing the equilibrium profile of a normally consolidated suspension, resulted in larger final densities and a lower sediment-water interface. Conversely, a concentration of 175.6 g/l, achieved by remixing consolidating dredged sediment, yielded the same equilibrium layer thickness and density profile as virgin consolidation, albeit after a longer consolidation time. These findings are particularly relevant for land reclamation and wetland construction projects, where the initial density may be high and the dredging process's mixing may alter the stress state.

    Keywords: Dredged sediment, Initial conditions, Mass concentration, consolidation, Marker Wadden, Seepage Induced Consolidation Test, settling column tests, beneficial use of sediments

    Received: 18 Jul 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Barciela-Rial, Van Den Bosch, Van Kessel, Griffioen and Winterwerp. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Maria Barciela-Rial, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands

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