Evaluation of Waste Concrete Road Materials for Use in Oyster Aquaculture
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2013-02-01
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TRIS Online Accession Number:01515400
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Edition:Final Report
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NTL Classification:NTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-Environment Impacts
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Abstract:The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) intends to increase the use of recycled materials and to use products in an environmentally responsible manner. As roads and bridges are resurfaced, old concrete is removed and is usually discarded. It would be in the best interest of SHA, in support of its sustainability initiatives, that these materials be recycled and repurposed for alternative uses. One such potential use is to condition portions of the Chesapeake Bay bottom to support spat-on-shell aquaculture projects. For recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) to be used within the aquatic setting of the Chesapeake Bay, its chemical behavior under saturated conditions must be understood to avoid potential adverse impacts to the bay's aquatic ecosystem. The primary objective of this study was to determine the suitability of recycled concrete as conditioning material for on-bottom oyster aquaculture in the Chesapeake Bay. The results of this project showed that using RCA as a base material for oyster reefs did not adversely affect oyster spat growth and survival, or the surrounding environment. There was no statistical difference between shell and RCA on the growth, survivorship, average length, or recruitment of young oysters. Initial pH was slightly higher for the RCA than the oyster shell control, but pH stabilized to around 7.6 to 7.8 for all treatments after seven days. Based on the findings of this study, the recommendation is to initiate a second phase study that places RCA on test plots in the Chesapeake Bay to validate the laboratory tests in-situ.
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