Coupling effect of solidification and consolidation on characteristics of the dredged silt

Dehydration with a plate and frame filter press is a common method for treating dredged silt from rivers and lakes. The silt is often conditioned by the addition of solidifying materials before plate and frame press filtration and, therefore, is subjected to the coupling effect of solidification and consolidation. In this study, consolidation tests of the silt with cement were carried out and compared with the silt after only solidification or only consolidation in terms of moisture content, unconfined compressive strength, and leaching concentration. The test results showed that the moisture content of the silt can be reduced to less than 60% under the coupling action of solidification and consolidation, which was 22% and 4% lower than with solidification only or consolidation only, respectively. The effect of consolidation improved the solidification process; the unconfined compressive strength increased rapidly in the early stage of curing and was 30–150% higher than that of solidified silt. The coupling effects of solidification and consolidation on the leaching concentrations of Ni and Cr in silt were the most significant, and the lowest leaching concentrations were 60% and 90% lower than those of solidified only and consolidated only silt, respectively.