IADC presents paper “Sand as a resource: Best practices to conduct responsible dredging projects”.
IADC presents paper “Sand as a resource: Best practices to conduct responsible dredging projects”. It presents best practices for optimal use of scarce sand resources, on both project and operational levels. Every stage of a project presents opportunities to increase the sustainability of sand extraction.
Sand as a Resource
The paper Sand as a resource: Best practices to conduct responsible dredging projects presents best practices for optimal use of scarce sand resources, on both project and operational levels. Every stage of a project presents opportunities to increase the sustainability of sand extraction.
Course “Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure”; 12-14 December 2023, Abu Dhabi
Learn how to achieve dredging projects that fulfil primary functional requirements while adding value to the natural and socio-economic systems by acquiring an understanding of these systems in the context of dredging as well as stakeholder engagement throughout a project’s development.
Evaluation of a nature-based agitation dredging solution
The challenge of maintaining harbours and ports while conserving and sustaining coastal habitats, with all the rich resources they provide, requires that port and harbours do more to develop approaches to maintenance dredging that provide benefit to these neighbouring habitats. In this article, we describe an example from Harwich Harbour in the UK where Harwich Haven Authority (the Conservancy Authority) is looking to move to a more nature-based maintenance dredging methodology, using agitation dredging. Using the results of monitoring and sophisticated numerical modelling, we evaluate the likely benefit to the Stour/Orwell intertidal areas arising from the use of the agitation dredging.
The importance of flocculation in dredge plume modelling
Numerical models are often used to predict the magnitude and behaviour of dredge plumes to help assess and manage any environmental risks. To provide a realistic prediction of plumes resulting from dredging, numerical models require information on the rate at which sediment is suspended by the dredging, along with the characteristics of the suspended sediment. Previous investigations have shown that in the marine environment, fine-grained sediment suspended by natural processes and dredge-related activities are typically present as aggregated particles known as flocs. This article considers the importance of including the process of flocculation in dredge plume models.
Reinforced soil – the quay wall structure for the future?
Steel and concrete are the most common materials used in quay wall structures. The application of these materials contributes to a high emission of greenhouse gasses such as CO2 and the materials make up a large part of the construction costs. This graduate research examines whether alternative quay wall structures have the potential to be more cost effective and more sustainable compared to conventional structures for inland ports. An innovative quay wall of reinforced soil was designed and quay elements implemented to make a quay wall structure. A comparison was then made based on the criteria costs and sustainability between the innovative quay design and two conventional quays.
“Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure” course held from 20-22 June in Belgium
Registration open for the course Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure; 20 - 22 June in Beveren (Belgium).
Deploying private capital to accelerate the green transition
Green solutions in ports, waterways and coastal projects have increasingly become available thanks to many years of research and pioneering efforts in practice. These sustainable and/or nature-based solutions have shown to be good alternatives for classic solutions, but application is far from mainstream yet. One of the major hurdles is the lack of access of private capital to finance these kinds of solutions despite the strong interest of capital markets in green infrastructure opportunities. Identifying the hurdles and paving a way forward to overcome these hurdles could therefore help to increase the uptake of those green solutions.