Effects of Acidic Contamination on the Geotechnical Properties of Marine Soils in Japan

Abstract

Laboratory investigation, including a series of consolidation tests, was conducted on three marine deposits in order to study the effects of acidic contamination on the geotechnical properties of soils from coastal areas in Japan. Solutions of sulfuric acid were used to leach the clays for defined time periods ranging from 3 to 6 months, thus simulating the process of long-term soil-acid interaction that occurs during municipal and industrial waste storage. The obtained results showed that acidic contamination could affect the compressibility of the clays, and the factors determining the degree of such changes were clay mineralogy, soil structure, and the duration of clay-acid interaction.