Experimental study of cement-based solidification of dredged sludge: assessment of the porosity and pore structure after solidification

The proposed study is part of an on-going research program on the possibilities od physical and mechanical improvement of dredging sediments by cement-based solidification / stabilization. Findings are related to the effect of factors such as: cement content (5, 10, 20 and 40%), type of cement (CPA-CEM I 52.5 et CPJ-CEM II/A 32.5 (V)) and curing conditions (with and without preventing loss of water), ob total porosity and on the pore structure after solidification. The measured porosity ranged from 40 to 75% and tended to increase in case of air dry specimens and to reduce with the decrease in W/C ratio. Furthermore, specimens solidification with the CPJ cement seemed to be less porous than those solidified with CPA cement. The pore structure and pore size distribution showed the influence of the studied factors and brought to the fore the presence of a characteristic peak, located around about 0.01 mum.