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Engineering Potentials and Stability of Nigerian Waste Rocks as Alternative construction Geo-materials and Earth Structure Fills

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Abstract

Recycling of waste rocks from mines and its use in facility building is imperative due to its eco-friendly nature. Laboratory analysis and numerical modeling were adopted in evaluating waste rocks as embankment materials and its stability thereafter. Geomechanical testing was performed on 21 disturbed samples from three Nigerian mining provinces to determine grain size distribution, natural moisture content, atterberg limits, maximum dry density, optimum moisture content, and coefficient of consolidation, coefficient of volume compressibility, shear strength, and permeability, as well as major metallic oxides. To compute the safety factors for the proposed structures, 2-D general limit equilibrium method (GLEM) was used to simulate fully coupled pore pressure steady state and transient seepage stability assessments. Despite that the waste rocks were classified as non-plastic to plastic cohesive materials with intermediate competency for earthworks, the stability results revealed the waste dumps' present precarious safety condition due to high peaks in the fields. The waste dumps' factor of safety, probability of failure, and reliability index values were much below the 1.5, 0.1%, and 3.8, respectively, recommended by a relevant standard. The proposed conversion and reuse of the materials for low impoundment embankments was prompted by the dumps' unsafe status. However, evidence has shown that some of the proposed embankments may fail or exhibit critical stability at the upstream during rapid drawdown events, which is linked to high clay content, plasticity, and poor strength, all of which are influenced by the waste rock's geology and chemistry. As a result, waste material stabilization and embankment modification are required for durability of the proposed engineering structures.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to appreciate Mr. Kazeem Kola and AjibolaJimoh of the National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency, Kaduna for their assistance in the laboratory work.

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  1. Department of Geology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

    Raphael Iweanya Maduka & Ogbonnaya Igwe

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  1. Raphael Iweanya Maduka
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Contributions

The study is part of the first author’s postgraduate thesis. RIM participated in the field/laboratory work and drafted the manuscript. The second author conceived the study and participated in its design and coordination. OI developed the concepts that guided the research. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Raphael Iweanya Maduka.

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Communicated by Zeynal Abiddin Erguler.

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Maduka, R.I., Igwe, O. Engineering Potentials and Stability of Nigerian Waste Rocks as Alternative construction Geo-materials and Earth Structure Fills. Arab J Geosci 15, 767 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10062-0

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