Dredged sediments, which are mud suspensions with concentrations exceeding the gelling point, are utilised in reclamation and Building with Nature projects. Beyond the gelling point, flocs occupy space and begin to form a network structure. This study investigates the impact of initial conditions, specifically the concentration above the gelling point and the stress state, on the consolidation of dredged sediment. The sediment from Lake Markermeer in the Netherlands was studied, specifically in the context of the construction of the Marker Wadden wetland. Material parameters were determined using two distinct experimental methods: settling columns and Seepage Induced Consolidation (SIC) tests. The differences observed between the two sets of material parameters suggest that the stress history and plastic deformation during mixing may influence the results. These effects were analysed using a one-dimensional vertical (1DV) consolidation model. The computed profiles were then compared with the profiles measured using an Ultrasonic High Concentration Meter. An initial concentration of 558.1 g/l, achieved by remixing the equilibrium profile of a normally consolidated suspension, resulted in larger final densities and a lower sediment-water interface. Conversely, a concentration of 175.6 g/l, achieved by remixing consolidating dredged sediment, yielded the same equilibrium layer thickness and density profile as virgin consolidation, albeit after a longer consolidation time. These findings are particularly relevant for land reclamation and wetland construction projects, where the initial density may be high and the dredging process’s mixing may alter the stress state.@en

Dredged cohesive sediment is progressively being used for wetland construction. However, little is known about the effect of plant growth during the self-weight consolidation of this sediment. In order to check the feasibility of such a study, a new experimental setup has been constructed. As an example, the effect of Phragmites australis on the consolidation and drainage of dredged sediment from Lake Markermeer, the Netherlands was investigated. The changes in pore water pressures at 10 cm depth intervals during a 129-day period in a column with and without plants were measured, while the water level was fixed at a constant level. Water loss via evaporation and plant transpiration was measured using Mariotte bottles and the photosynthetic processes — including plant transpiration — were measured with a LI-COR photosynthesis system. The results show that several processes initiated by Phragmites australis interfere with the physical processes involved in sediment drainage and consolidation. Phragmites australis effectively altered the pore pressure gradient via water extraction, especially between 40 and 60 cm from the bottom of the column. In this zone, daily cycles in pore pressures were observed which could directly be linked to the diurnal cycle of stomatal gas exchange. On average, water loss via evaporation and transpiration of leaves of Phragmites australis amounted to 3.9 mm day⁻¹, whereas evaporation of bare soil amounted on average to 0.6 mm day⁻¹. The depth-averaged hydraulic conductivity increased on average by 40% in presence of Phragmites australis. This pilot experiment confirms that the pressures sensors coupled with the new set-up enable to study pore pressure development over time and to link the effect of plant growth with alterations in water pressures profiles. A more systematic study with this set-up will in the future enable to quantify the effects of plant growth on consolidation.@en

Progressively, more dredged sediments are being reused for engineering projects. For example, the Marker Wadden is a new wetland constructed in lake Markermeer, the Netherlands, with dredged cohesive sediments originating from the bed of the lake. Such dredged sediments are often dominated by cohesive sediment particles with varying amounts of sand and organic matter. In addition, during and after the construction process, the material consolidates and is often compressed from a very loose state into a significantly denser condition. To assess the mechanical behavior of this material, the compressibility of the Markermeer dredged sediment samples with various sand and organic matter contents was analyzed with incremental loading oedometer tests, whereas the undrained shear strength was studied using the fall cone test. The behavior was theoretically analyzed assuming a fractal structure of the sediment and applying power law constitutive equations for effective stress, hydraulic conductivity, and undrained shear strength. These constitutive equations, usually used at low initial sediment densities, worked well at the relatively high initial densities studied and proved to be a useful tool to identify the transition fines content TFC. The constitutive equations were put in context with indicators traditionally used in soil mechanics. Samples, each with an identical composition of the fines fraction (particles< 63 μm), but with a sand content varying from 9 to 40%, showed the same compressibility and undrained shear strength behavior when considering the sand a filler material. For a natural sand content of 70%, the behavior was dominated by sand. The organic matter oxidation was observed to drastically decrease the compressibility and the shear strength, and even to decrease the amount of sand needed to exhibit sand-dominated behavior, showing the importance of the reactivity or state of organic matter on the TFC@en

Soft mud deposits are increasingly encountered around the world, from natural offshore deposits and mud layers in estuaries, ports, and waterways to progressively growing leftover from treatment and extraction facilities, mines, and oil refineries. Reliable monitoring of the temporal and spatial strength buildup in such deposits is crucial to optimize their sediment management plan. In this study, two well-established shear strength profilers i.e. GraviProbe 2.0 (dotOcean) and RheoTune (Stema Systems) are investigated. Their working principles are described, and their performance is compared against direct strength measurement. Finally, capabilities, limitations, and points of improvement of both instruments are discussed. @en

The main objective of this chapter is to demonstrate developments in port maintenance techniques that have been intensively tested in major European ports. As regular port maintenance is highly expensive, port authorities are considering alternative strategies. Water Injection Dredging (WID) can be one of the most efficient alternatives. Using this dredging method, density currents near the bed are created by fluidizing fine-grained sediments. The fluidized sediment can leave the port channels and be transported away from the waterways via the natural force of gravity. WID actions can be successfully coupled with the tidal cycle for extra effectiveness. In addition, WID is combined with another strategy to reduce maintenance dredging: the nautical bottom approach, which enables the vessel to navigate through the WID-induced fluid mud layer. The nautical bottom approach uses the density or the yield stress of sediment to indicate the navigability after WID rather than the absolute depth to the sediment bed. Testing WID-based port maintenance requires thorough preparation. Over the years modeling and monitor-ing tools have been developed in order to test and optimize WID operations. In this chapter, the application of the recently developed tools is discussed.@en

We studied the drying behavior of slurries of Markermeer sediments in the Netherlands having different solid compositions. Natural processes such as sand–mud segregation and oxidation of organic matter were mimicked to analyze the effect of changes in sediment composition. Evaporation experiments were performed with soft slurry samples using the Hyprop setup. Soil water retention curves (SWRCs) and hydraulic conductivity curves (HCCs) were determined as a function of the water ratio (WR, defined as volume of water/volume of solids). The sediment remained close to saturation until the end of the experiments. The Atterberg limits reduced significantly after sediment treatment involving drying at 50 °C, rewetting, and chemical oxidation. Furthermore, the oxidized sediment lost capacity to retain water. The SWRCs of sandy and oxidized clays were steeper, and fine-textured sediments showed large water ratios. At low matric suctions, the water retention capacity of the upper sediment samples containing more labile organic matter was larger than that of the sediment underneath. Clear correlations were found between van Genuchten parameters and the degree of degradation of the organic matter. The hydraulic conductivity of fine-textured samples with less labile organics was larger. The results give insight into the drying behavior of Markermeer sediment, currently used to build wetlands.

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Sediment is becoming scarce and fine sediments are progressively used for reclamation projects. Therefore there is an increasing need to use cohesive fine sediments (mud) for land reclamation and nature building. These sediments exhibit larger deformations and consolidation time than sandy sediment, and are therefore more challenging building materials to use. The MarkerWadden (Lake Markermeer, The Netherlands) is one of the first projects using fresh soft mud (with a low-strength and high water content) for wetland construction. In the research, the material properties of natural sediment from the Markermeer were determined and, the consolidation, drying and undrained shear strength was studied for varying solid compositions. Furthermore, the influence of vegetation and drainage during consolidation and drying was investigated.@en

This paper presents a fast consolidation model suitable for long-term morphodynamic simulations. This model is applicable for muddy systems where sedimentation rates are smaller than consolidation rates, assuming quasi-equilibrium of the consolidating bed. It compares to the consolidation model developed by Sanford (2008). However, in that model, a heuristic, exponential density profile was used. Instead, the current model is derived from the full consolidation (Gibson) equation. The model’s material parameters (hydraulic conductivity, consolidation coefficient and strength) can therefore be derived from soil mechanical experiments in the laboratory. @en

Sediment is becoming scarce. Therefore, soft sediments are progressively being used for nature building. The MarkerWadden is an example of an ongoing Building with Nature (BwN) project which aims to improve the ecology of Lake Markermeer (The Netherlands) by creating a wetland with the cohesive sediments from the bed of the lake. It represents one of the first projects using fresh unconsolidated mud as a filling material. However, building with these fine sediments represents a great challenge, because of their complex properties.@en