Applicability of excavated rock material: A European technical review implying opportunities for future tunnelling projects

Abstract

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is a world-wide leading organisation in the field of particle physics and operation of high-class particle accelerators. Since 2013, CERN has undertaken feasibility investigations for a particle accelerator, named Future Circular Collider (FCC) to be installed within a 90-100 km subsurface infrastructure likely to enter construction phase after 2030. An important aspect of its construction and environmental impact assessment is the management of approximately 9.1 million m 3 of excavated rock and soil. The aim of this paper is to thoroughly review the applications of excavated material across European subsurface construction projects from a technical point of view and set them into context with studies currently ongoing for FCC. We propose a conceptual flow model for rock characterisation with respect to both applicability of excavated material and tunnelling excavation techniques for future international subsurface construction projects.The review has revealed a vast and encouraging potential across different European construction sites efficiently using excavated rock and soil over the past decade ranging from concrete production, geopolymer production, embankment and landfilling. Examples of reviewed subsurface tunnelling projects are likely to be applied for FCC including concrete production, clay-sealing for embankments, geopolymer face stabilization, recultivation or agricultural usage as mixed soil material or sustainable waste disposal.

Review on Sustainable Construction and Demolition Waste Management—Challenges and Research Prospects

“…Additionally suggested is the development of a comprehensive evaluation framework for designing, planning, and evaluating the performance of C&D waste diversion for future investigation [9]. On the other hand, Chen et al (2021) discussed research gaps in the lack of a systematic review of complex C&D waste sorting, transportation distance, and evaluation of its environmental impacts [64]. Globally, the illegal dumping of C&D waste is one of the most significant concerns and barriers to stopping illegal dumping practices.…”

“…Only a handful of studies have been conducted on sustainable management of excavated soil and rock. These [64][65][66][67][68] studies focus on material flow analysis and management practices to enhance resource efficiency. These practices include the reuse of excavated rock and soils in concrete production and geo-polymer production, utilising clay-sealing for embankment and landfilling, implementing re-cultivation and agricultural usage as mixed soil material.…”

Predictive Models to Evaluate the Interaction Effect of Soil-Tunnel Interaction Parameters on Surface and Subsurface Settlement

“…The data set for the current study contained 239 points for surface settlement and 104 points for subsurface settlement based on the systematic monitoring data for the Crossrail tunnels. The input data related to LC properties used in this paper were collected based on an extensive review of laboratory studies [32][33][34][35][36][37][38] that have been done for LC. The methodology includes the design of two models to predict the response of the ground to the tunneling parameters: one for surface settlement and the other for subsurface settlement.…”

Properties of Slurry Shield Tunnel Sand and Its Application in Large Flow Concrete

“…TS properties depend on a tunnel’s geohydrological conditions, rock properties, and excavation methods, in which tunnel boring machines and drill-and-blast methods are mostly used in rock formations; their TS contains more solid rock, gravel, and stone chips, which are generally used as concrete aggregate [ 8 , 9 ], inert cement admixture [ 10 ], roadwork gravel, roadbed landfill material, agricultural farming material, coating industry raw materials, and filler for various types of land reclamation projects [ 11 , 12 ]. Given that earth pressure balance shield-tunnel construction will require additives, such as surfactants, polymers, bentonite slurry, anti-wear agents, and defoamers, the effective removal of such additives in the excavated tunnel slag is the key point of its resource-use [ 13 ].…”