The potential application of red mud and soil mixture as additive to the surface layer of a landfill cover system.
Red mud, the by-product of aluminum production, has been regarded as a problematic residue all over the world. Its storage involves risks as evidenced by the Ajka red mud spill, an accident in Hungary where the slurry broke free, flooding the surrounding areas. As an immediate remediation measure more than 5cm thick red mud layer was removed from the flooded soil surface. The removed red mud and soil mixture (RMSM) was transferred into the reservoirs for storage. In this paper the application of RMSM is evaluated in a field study aiming at re-utilizing waste, decreasing cost of waste disposal and providing a value-added product. The purpose was to investigate the applicability of RMSM as surface layer component of landfill cover systems. The field study was carried out in two steps: in lysimeters and in field plots. The RMSM was mixed at ratios ranging between 0 and 50% w/w with low quality subsoil (LQS) originally used as surface layer of an interim landfill cover. The characteristics of the LQS+RMSM mixtures compared to the subsoil (LQS) and the RMSM were determined by physical-chemical, biological and ecotoxicological methods. The addition of RMSM to the subsoil (LQS) at up to 20% did not result any ecotoxic effect, but it increased the water holding capacity. In addition, the microbial substrate utilization became about triple of subsoil (LQS) after 10months. According to our results the RMSM mixed into subsoil (LQS) at 20% w/w dose may be applied as surface layer of landfill cover systems.
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary. Electronic address: ujaczki.eva@mail.bme.hu.
Éva
É
Ujaczki
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
Viktória
V
Feigl
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
Mónika
M
Molnár
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
Emese
E
Vaszita
Institute for Soil Sciences and Agricultural Chemistry, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1022 Budapest, Herman Ottó Street 15, Hungary.
Nikolett
N
Uzinger
A.S.A. Hungary Ltd., H-2360 Gyál, Kőrösi Street 53, Hungary.
Attila
A
Erdélyi
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3, Hungary.
Katalin
K
Gruiz
D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D006814:Hungary; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities
D012987:Soil
Environmental toxicology; Field-study; Landfill cover constituent; Lysimeter; Red mud; Soil amelioration