Dredged materials help create residential area in Finland
Clay from maintenance dredging in the Finnish Port of Turku, along with other dredged masses, will be turned into viable construction material to be used in the construction of a new residential suburb
The plan to reuse clay from maintenance dredging in the port of Turku in the construction of a new residential hub in the Lauttaranta area is part of the EU-backed circular economy – CircVol – project that aims at more efficient use of different land masses, including clay, rock, and industrial side or by-products, and thus sustainable use of the planet’s dwindling natural resources.
The project opens up an opportunity for businesses to be involved in infrastructure construction projects. More than 100 million tonnes of rock materials are used annually in construction in Finland.
Part of that volume could be replaced with recycled soil, industrial by-product flows, and more challenging soil fractions, such as clay and dredging masses, that could be stabilised using blast furnace slag, lime-based industrial by-product flows, or other dry materials that help to improve the bearing capacity of clay and keep the pH close to neutral.