Remediation Trend of Engineering Behavior of Wastewater Contaminated Clay Using Iron Nano Oxide: Experimental Studies

Abstract

Soil polluted with urban wastewater due to defect of wastewater disposal and leakage from wastewater channels is a common type of pollution in urban areas which in addition to environmental damage, has significant effects on soil engineering parameters. In present study, effects of municipal wastewater on mechanical behavior of soil and clay microstructure was studied, and then effects of iron oxide nanoparticles on remediation trend of contaminated soil was investigated. To achieve this, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), collapse and SEM analysis tests were performed on contaminated samples containing 20%, 60% and 100% wastewater at 1, 3 and 5 months and also on contaminated soil remidiated with 0.5-4% Iron nano oxide. Results showed that wastewater reduces shear strength of clay and this decreasing trend increases with increasing percentage and contamination duration. UCS of soil contaminated with 100% wastewater decreased by 49% after 5 months of contamination. Also, wastewater in the soil caused to soil collapse after 5 months . SEM images showed the clay structure became clotted after contamination and soil pores increased compared to natural soil. Improvement phase results showed that by addition of Iron nano oxide to contaminated soil, shear strength significantly increased, and optimal percentage of Iron nano oxide was 3% in which UCS increased by 105.2%. By increasing the percentage of Iron nanoxide, intensity of collapse index of contaminated soil decreases. Best case senario, final strain of soil decreases by 43.4% compared to contaminated soil. Therefore, utilizing Iron nanooxide is recommended to improve engineering behavior of contaminated clay.