Characterization of Sediments for Sustainable Development: State of the Art

Abstract

Sediments are the particulate matter that are transported by the flow of water and eventually get deposited at the bottom of water bodies, such as oceans, rivers, lagoons, and so forth. The deposition of these materials due to continued intervention of natural as well as anthropogenic activities is a serious concern as the storage capacity (or health) of the system is reduced or otherwise affected. Keeping in view the emerging challenges associated with proper disposal and subsequent utilization of sediments, as a manmade resource, their extraction from such locations becomes necessary. Hence, it is essential to characterize the sediments in order to devise strategies to exploit them as a manmade resource in the best possible manner. With this in view, this article highlights the importance of different attributes and aspects of the sediments (viz., physical, chemical, morphological, geotechnical, toxicological, and microbial characteristics) deposited in the water bodies that will help in assessing their potential as a substitute material to natural resources.

Towards the Implementation of Circular Economy in the Wastewater Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Sewage sludge is composed of significant amounts of nutrients, such as phosphorus (0.5%-0.7% of total solids) and nitrogen (2.4%-5% of total solids), in the form of protein compounds, which can be employed to produce fertilisers [140][141][142]. Taking into account that phosphorus is a finite resource extracted mainly from rocks located in a few regions of the world, and the high cost of commercial fertilizers, the recovery of nutrients from sewage systems is gaining attention to improve sustainability in agricultural production [112].…”

Environmental Impact of Bush Burning on the Physico-Chemistry of Mangrove Soil at Eagle Island, Niger Delta, Nigeria

“…The physico-chemistry of mangrove and wetland soils is significant towards the stability of soil living organisms [22] and plays key role in the soil-plant trophic pathway. Thus, the degradation of soil chemical composition through the application of fire can impact revealed that the concentration of iron was the highest because of the sedimentary makeup of the base rock of the coastal environment as shown by previous studies in that location [3] [23].…”

Strength and Contaminant Toxicity Leaching Characteristics of MgO-Solidified Silt

“…Over 500 million m 3 of dredged silt is produced each year [3]. This silt has a high moisture content, low strength, poor stability, low loading capacity, and contains large amounts of pollutants [4][5][6]. Dredged silt cannot be directly landfilled and, if not properly handled, can easily cause secondary pollution [7][8][9].…”