Utilization of industrial by-products and waste materials in earth construction

About 100 million tons of mineral soil and rock materials are used as construction material in Finland. Utilisation of gravel and sand is mainly concentrated in groundwater areas. However, this greatly increases the risk of contamination. By utilising industrial by-products instead of natural materials, this risk may be reduced considerably. Also, waste management legislation requires replacing natural materials with waste and by-products. By-product research project consists of many subprojects including industrial by-products such as slags from steel industry, waste from pulp and paper industry,  ashes from energy production and by-products of construction industry. Their technical properties, environmental suitability and functioning in the earth and environment structures are studied.

Current projects:

• Sorption properties of steel slag
• Utilization of nickel slag in cover structure

Research areas

> Catchment restoration
> Constructed wetlands
> Erosion and sediment transport
> Ground water
> Habitat hydraulics
> Landfill liners
> Material testing
> Mine tailings
> Modelling
> Nutrient retention and removal
> On-site wastewater treatment
> Peatlands and environment
> Soil physics and hydraulics
> Tracer hydrology
> Utilization of by-products
> Waste management
> Water chemistry
> Water treatment
> Wastewater treatment

Toolbox of research