From dredged sediment to supplementary cementitious material: characterization, treatment, and reuse

Nowadays, the preservation of natural resources, the reuse, and the recycling of waste and by-products in the cement industry are gaining increasing attention in a sustainable development project. In this perspective, many studies focus on finding solutions in order to propose environmentally friendly materials. Nowadays the sediments represent a way to preserve the natural resources by their reuse as a secondary raw material in multiple applications (concrete, roads, landscaped mound, etc.). However, they commonly contain contaminants, organic matter (5%–30%), high water content (50%–200%), and relatively small particle size (Dmax ≤ 300 μm). Therefore to improve the mechanical properties of this material as well as its physiochemical ones, specific methods of characterization and appropriate treatment techniques (calcination, chemical treatment, etc.) are required. This article presents a bibliographical review of the efficient use of sediments in cementitious matrix. It details experimental tests that must be performed to ensure the durability of sediment-based structure and assess their environmental impact under prescribed conditions.