Grouted and concreted soils: residue mapping of foundation techniques in Flanders,Belgium

Sand is one of the main raw materials used in infrastructure and road construction. While it is a common natural raw material worldwide, the locations where it can be found are not evenly distributed. Because Flanders is highly dependent on imported sand, there is a need to find alternatives. One alternative might be found in the residues from foundation techniques like grout, soil mixed with bentonite, and cemented soils. This paper reports an attempt to determine the annual amount of residues from these foundation techniques available on the Flemish market, by use of a market study. This study estimated that the annual amount of grouted soils and cemented soil remainders is more than 40% of the annual amount of natural sands dredged from the Belgian Continental Shelf. Preliminary tests show that grout and cemented soil remainders could be a valuable replacement for natural sand currently used in low grade applications like sub foundations and stabilized sands.