A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology
Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) are currently the most widely used machines to perform tunnel excavation, particularly in urban areas. This technology involves the injection of chemicals as conditioning mixtures, which commonly raises concerns limiting the reuse of soils af...
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/12/4138 |
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| author | Irene Bavasso Giorgio Vilardi Diego Sebastiani Anita Di Giulio Marta Di Felice Andrea Di Biase Salvatore Miliziano Luca Di Palma |
| author_facet | Irene Bavasso Giorgio Vilardi Diego Sebastiani Anita Di Giulio Marta Di Felice Andrea Di Biase Salvatore Miliziano Luca Di Palma |
| author_sort | Irene Bavasso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) are currently the most widely used machines to perform tunnel excavation, particularly in urban areas. This technology involves the injection of chemicals as conditioning mixtures, which commonly raises concerns limiting the reuse of soils after excavation. This study deals with the prospect of a simplified, rapid and replicable methodology for the evaluation of the biodegradability of these conditioning mixtures. For this purpose, the biodegradation of three commercial conditioning mixtures was investigated in closed bottle tests by investigating the effect of different mixtures dosages and two different inocula (soil humus and <i>Bacillus Clausii</i>). While using soil humus as inoculum, a comparative study of biodegradation of the three investigated mixtures was successfully carried out; in the case of <i>Bacillus Clausii</i>, it was not possible to make a comparison between the different formulations in a short time. The adoption of soil humus satisfied only the criteria of rapid test, while the <i>Bacillus Clausii</i>, as specific inoculum, can meet the criteria of replicable results. For this reason, in the second part of this experimental study, a rapid and replicable procedure was proposed and validated. A kinetic study of organic carbon removal was also carried out. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6821a9f891c45c2b7acb464974c8e2b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:08:44Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6821a9f891c45c2b7acb464974c8e2b2023-11-20T04:00:42ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-06-011012413810.3390/app10124138A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB TechnologyIrene Bavasso0Giorgio Vilardi1Diego Sebastiani2Anita Di Giulio3Marta Di Felice4Andrea Di Biase5Salvatore Miliziano6Luca Di Palma7Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyGeotechnical and Environmental Engineering Group-Startup of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyGeotechnical and Environmental Engineering Group-Startup of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyGeotechnical and Environmental Engineering Group-Startup of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyGeotechnical and Environmental Engineering Group-Startup of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyGeotechnical and Environmental Engineering Group-Startup of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment of Sapienza, University of Rome, 00184 Rome, ItalyEarth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) are currently the most widely used machines to perform tunnel excavation, particularly in urban areas. This technology involves the injection of chemicals as conditioning mixtures, which commonly raises concerns limiting the reuse of soils after excavation. This study deals with the prospect of a simplified, rapid and replicable methodology for the evaluation of the biodegradability of these conditioning mixtures. For this purpose, the biodegradation of three commercial conditioning mixtures was investigated in closed bottle tests by investigating the effect of different mixtures dosages and two different inocula (soil humus and <i>Bacillus Clausii</i>). While using soil humus as inoculum, a comparative study of biodegradation of the three investigated mixtures was successfully carried out; in the case of <i>Bacillus Clausii</i>, it was not possible to make a comparison between the different formulations in a short time. The adoption of soil humus satisfied only the criteria of rapid test, while the <i>Bacillus Clausii</i>, as specific inoculum, can meet the criteria of replicable results. For this reason, in the second part of this experimental study, a rapid and replicable procedure was proposed and validated. A kinetic study of organic carbon removal was also carried out.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/12/4138tunnel boring machinesearth pressure balancesoil conditioning agentanionic-surfactantbiodegradation |
| spellingShingle | Irene Bavasso Giorgio Vilardi Diego Sebastiani Anita Di Giulio Marta Di Felice Andrea Di Biase Salvatore Miliziano Luca Di Palma A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology Applied Sciences tunnel boring machines earth pressure balance soil conditioning agent anionic-surfactant biodegradation |
| title | A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology |
| title_full | A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology |
| title_fullStr | A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology |
| title_short | A Rapid Experimental Procedure to Assess Environmental Compatibility of Conditioning Mixtures Used in TBM-EPB Technology |
| title_sort | rapid experimental procedure to assess environmental compatibility of conditioning mixtures used in tbm epb technology |
| topic | tunnel boring machines earth pressure balance soil conditioning agent anionic-surfactant biodegradation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/12/4138 |
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