The problem that the Port of Koper has to face due to the sedimentation of mud in its waterways, as well as the results of research that has been performed so far in order to find an optimal solution for the use of this mud as a building material, in economically viable and sustainable applications, was presented at the International conference entitled "Dredging and the European Union: Regulations, Problems and Best Practice" (Piombino, Italy, October 2012). Participation at this conference was important since it was necessary to obtain first-hand information about everyday practice relating to the management of sediments in other European ports.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1919335The Port of Koper, as one of the biggest and the most important ports in the Northern Adriatic Sea, constantly faces problems caused by the accumulation of marine sediments inside different parts of the port, which result in disturbances in some of the Portʼs crucial operational properties. A total of 0.45 million m3 of sediment have to be removed annually. This sediment is a mixture of clay and silt (mud), which is anthropogenically polluted by certain heavy metals, and thus represents a kind of waste for which there is insufficient disposal space along the Slovenian coast. According to the well-known slogan No waste here, just resources, this sediment can be viewed as a potential raw material, particularly in the field of civil engineering. In order to define the best way in which to use this sediment in civil engineering applications, an extensive research is under way. This research focuses on: (i) the accumulation of mud as a consequence of local geological processes, (ii) the chemical, mineralogical and mechanical-physical properties of the mud, (iii) the degree and type of pollution, especially with regard to the content of biologically easily accessible pollutants (2), and (iv) possibilities for the environmentally safe and technologically functional implementation of sediments into construction products and structures.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1931879Sustainable thinking in building and civil engineering assumes that recycling and demolition (R&D) waste, and industrial waste, is reused or recycled. Since R&D waste represents approximately 25-30 % of the total waste generated every year in Europe, this waste, together with industrial waste, should be reused in new applications, i.e. for new products which will have the same functional characteristics as if conventional materials were used. If appropriate treatments are chosen, adverse effects on the environment become negligible. This paper discusses the current situation in Slovenia, and includes some examples of good practice and research in the field in sustainable waste management. These include the use of two types of steel slag, recycled rubber, and road pavement in-situ cold recycling.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 1914471