Recycling of Coastal Dredged Sediments from the Northern Nile Delta,Egypt, for Heavy Minerals Exploitation

Mineralogical and textural analyses of 45 undisturbed short cores and 80 grab sediment samples, collected from five frequently dredged navigational areas within harbors and water pathways of the Nile delta littoral system, were utilized for evaluation of these sediments as potential source of economic heavy minerals (EHMs). Results of mineralogical characterization indicate that the average total heavy mineral (HM) concentrations are as follows: Abu Qir Bay (1.7%), Rosetta estuary (3.1%), Burullus fishing port (4.5%), Damietta Harbor (2.9%), and El Gamil lagoon inlet (1.9%). Assessment of HM grades indicates predominance of magnetite, ilmenite, hematite, leucoxene, garnet, zircon, and rutile. Results of the feasibility analysis indicate that dredged sediments at these study areas are considered as a potential source of EHMs and economically promising to be mined for HMs. The present study suggests a practical operative plan of two successive phases for HMs recycling: (1) in-situ initial separation of HMs on the dredger deck using wet-gravity spirals, then (2) transportation of the recovered HM concentrates to an onshore processing plant to selectively separate individual HMs via wet and dry magnetic and electrostatic separators. Alternatively, dredged sediments can be directly pumped to a nearby onshore area as stockpile to be recycled afterward in inland processing plant.     

Experimental Evaluation of Leaching Effects on the Compressibility of Marine Clay and its Strain Rate Dependency

This study investigated how leaching affects compressibility behavior of marine clay and its strain rate dependency based on laboratory tests using three pairs of specimens. Each pair of specimens consisted of leached and unleached samples with identical geotechnical properties except soil salinity. The behavior characteristics of the leached and unleached specimens were evaluated using several series of constant rate-of-strain (CRS) tests with differing strain rates. The results revealed that the compressibility of leached clay increased as its salinity decreased. However, void ratio, Atterberg limits, and preconsolidation pressure in leached samples were lower than those in unleached clay. The increased compressibility and decreased preconsolidation pressure may be induced from a weakening of the interparticle bonds in the leached soil skeleton. The CRS test results with differing strain rates revealed that higher strain rates corresponded with higher levels of effective stress and higher apparent preconsolidation pressure in both leached and unleached clays.     

Comparison of vane shear and fall cone strengths of soft marine clay

A total of 1,014 measures of sediment shear strengths were measured by means of miniature vane shear and fall cone tests on five gravity cores collected in Eckernfo‐erde Bay, Baltic Sea. Paired t test was used to compare the shear strengths measured by the two methods. It was found that fall cone strength calculated with Wood's K₆₀value (0.29) overestimates the vane shear strength by 0.15 kPa (a = 0.001) and the sample mean of the fall cone strength is 4.1% higher than the mean of the vane shear strength. However, fall cone strength calculated with Hansbo's K₆₀ value (0.24) underestimates the vane shear strength by 0.88 kPa (a = 0.001), and the sample mean of the fall cone strength is 13.8% less than the mean of the vane shear strength. Both calculated fall cone strengths are significantly different from the vane shear strength, with a p value of less than 0.001. Regression analysis of the Echernfoerde Bay data indicates that a new K₆₀ value is 0.275 with a confidence interval (a = 0.01) from 0.2704 to 0.2786. Paired t test shows that there is no significant difference between miniature vane shear and fall cone tests for these samples if the fall cone strength is calculated with K₆₀ = 0.275.     

Cyclic behavior of natural organic clay under variable confining pressure that match traffic loading conditions

ABSTRACT

One-way cyclic loading is more typical for traffic loading and cyclic triaxial test has been recognized as a useful method for solving many engineering problems. Under traffic loading, the influence of variable confining pressure on cyclic behavior of natural organic clay subjected to cyclic traffic loading is rarely reported in the literature. In this study, a laboratory investigation on undrained cyclic behavior of natural organic clay is presented and conducted by cyclic triaxial apparatus. Tests are conducted by both constant confining pressure and variable confining pressure, to simulate the loading conditions induced by passing vehicles in actual engineering. Different stress levels are also considered in this study. By comparing between the results of constant confining pressure tests and variable confining pressure tests, it shows that the one-way cyclic behavior of organic clay is influenced significantly by variation of confining pressure, in terms of pore water pressure, permanent axial strain and stress–strain hysteretic loops.     

Experimental Study of Factors Controlling Sorption of Heavy Metals on Ariake Clay and Implication for Practice

A series of batch tests have been presented to investigate the effects of solid-solution contact time, solid:solution ratio, and pH of solution on sorption of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ on Ariake clay from Kyushu region of Japan. The results show that, among the three investigated factors, solid:solution ratio (SD/SN) seems to be the crucial controlling factor. The Freundlich sorption parameters determined from the batch tests were applied to a typical field landfill in which the Ariake clay was used as soil barrier. The impacts of the landfill were assessed by numerical analysis. Based on the analysis result, the significance of selecting proper solid:solution ratio for determining sorption parameters from batch test has been discussed.     

Time-Dependent Deformation Behavior of Jiangsu Marine Clay

In this article, the mechanical behavior of a Jiangsu marine clay was investigated by drained triaxial tests, traixial rheological tests, and one-dimensional compression and swelling tests. A visco-plastic model, the Bingham model combining two yield surfaces model, was proposed to describe the time-dependent deformation behaviors of the marine clay. The governing equation of Biot's consolidation theory for the visco-plastic soil is solved using a finite element code which incorporates the visco-plastic model. Using the finite element method, settlements of a typical embankment on the Lianxu expressway in China are calculated. Settlement calculations using the visco-plastic model are in agreement with the measured settlements in the field. The results demonstrate that the visco-plastic model is appropriate for calculating the visco-plastic deformations of Jiangsu marine clay. Theoretical and experimental studies show that the visco-plastic deformation of Jiangsu marine clay is substantial.     

GIS在矿产资源潜力评价中的应用

GIS技术的广泛应用为矿产资源潜力评价提供了新的思路和手段,并对其产生了深远的影响。简要介绍了GIS、矿产资源潜力评价及GIS在矿产资源潜力评价中的应用现状,并根据基于GIS矿产资源潜力评价的3个步骤,详细阐述了GIS在矿产资源潜力评价中的具体应用及其优越性。     

南方红土磁性地层年代学研究进展

南方红土是中国分布最广的第四纪土状堆积,蕴含丰富的古气候、古地理以及古人类演化的信息。然而,南方红土地区长期高温多雨的气候造成许多定年材料的缺乏,导致其年代学研究进展比较缓慢。磁性地层学方法是一种适合于中、新生代海陆相沉积物定年的快捷、有效的方法,近年来南方红土的磁性地层年代学研究取得了很好的结果。文中比较系统地总结了近年来南方红土磁性地层年代学研究方面的进展。这些研究显示南方红土中的载磁矿物包括赤铁矿、磁赤铁矿、磁铁矿和针铁矿,其中磁铁矿和赤铁矿是特征剩磁的主要载体。磁性地层结果表明南方红土记录了Matuyama负极性时晚期至Brunhes正极性时早-中期的沉积,其沉积起始年龄不晚于Jaramillo正极性亚时,即早于11 Ma。这些磁性地层学结果为揭示南方红土记录的环境变化和中国南方亚热带地区早期人类演化提供了年代学基础。     

真空预压处理高黏粒吹填土的物理化学指标

大连海港常采用高黏粒吹填土作为吹淤造陆工程土料,但高黏粒吹填土的黏粒含量大,真空预压处理地基时竖向排水体四周常常被黏粒淤堵,延误工程进度。为深入研究该类吹填土工程地质特性,基于室内物理模型采用80 kPa真空预压技术处理高黏粒吹填土,针对淤堵难题进行分析。通过测试土体的物理化学参数,建立含水率、易溶盐总量、钠离子含量、酸碱度、阳离子交换量、有机质含量等物理化学指标的特征分布曲线。结果表明：80 kPa真空预压处理的高黏粒吹填土含水率与易溶盐总量、酸碱度等化学指标呈反比;竖向排水体四周吹填土的易溶盐含量较大,有机质含量高;阳离子交换量与酸碱度呈正比。同时物化指标在排水板四周富集的现象反映80 kPa真空预压处理的高黏性吹填土固结状况,同时建议真空预压处理过程中采用分级真空预压方法,改进高黏粒吹填土地基处理,以降低淤堵状况。     

鄂尔多斯盆地上古生界山西组页岩气成藏条件及勘探潜力

为了研究鄂尔多斯盆地上古生界页岩气的勘探潜力,对鄂尔多斯盆地二叠系山西组富有机质泥页岩样品有机地球化学、物性特征及等温吸附等方面测试获得的参数进行了数理统计和测井响应特征分析。研究发现：有效泥页岩单层厚度变化较大,最厚可达15 m以上,盆地主体部位w(TOC)一般大于1.0%,有机质类型主要为Ⅱ₂型及Ⅲ型,镜质体反射率平均为1.66%,属于成熟-高成熟阶段,有利于有机质热解生气,具备页岩气成藏的基本地质条件。黏土矿物主要以伊利石（44.9%）和高岭石（33.6%）为主,泥页岩孔隙度平均为3.98%,渗透率平均为0.133×10^-3 μm²。泥页岩吸附含气量平均为1.94 m³/t。综合考虑泥页岩有效厚度、有机质丰度、有机质类型、热演化程度以及含气量等因素,预测鄂尔多斯盆地山西组页岩气有利区主要位于天环坳陷西北角、陕北斜坡带东北角及盆地中南部等区域。