Beneficial use of dredged sediments, either in harbours or waterways, is based on their potential... more Beneficial use of dredged sediments, either in harbours or waterways, is based on their potential as alternative resources. Such sediments can be considered as bulk materials for industrial needs, which is predicated on their current waste status or meeting end-of-waste constraints. They also can be an integral part of beneficial use projects using sediments as a bulk component, including civil engineering and landscaping. This is particularly important for beneficial use projects focusing on climate change effects mitigation, such as flood protection works, coastline defence or littoral urban areas redevelopment. When dredged sediment is used as a bulk material, its acceptability is based on an assumed homogeneity of its properties. On-site analyses allow pre-dredging detailed mapping at a denser scale than laboratory ones; monitoring dredgings during operations and during processing; and continuous control of their properties at the implementation site. This is currently possible ...
Dredged sediments from maintenance work on Scotland’s network of four operational canals are an u... more Dredged sediments from maintenance work on Scotland’s network of four operational canals are an underutilised resource. This poster will present progress that has been made to investigate different remedial approaches to improving the geotechnical properties of dredged canal sediments while addressing any residual issues related to industrial impacts and residual contamination. Dredged sediments from maintenance work on Scotland’s network of four operational canals are an underutilised resource. It divides roughly into two groups with different challenges for reuse or recycling: In the Highlands, the Caledonian and Crinan Canals, immediate reuse of typically clean material is largely presented by remoteness and the associated challenges of dewatering for transport, materials separation and the infrequency of any receiving engineering works; In contrast, in the Lowland Forth and Clyde or Union Canals, the legacy of industrial activity requires detailed testing, dewatering and recycli...
A ‘primary’ euhedrally shaped (up to 110 μm in size) platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblage main... more A ‘primary’ euhedrally shaped (up to 110 μm in size) platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblage mainly composed of laurite, osmian iridium and iridian osmium occur as solitary or composite inclusions in chromite. The preponderance of laurite and Os-rich alloys is consistent with a negatively sloped chondrite-normalized platinumgroup elements (PGE) pattern, typical of podiform chromitites from mantle sections for globally distributed duniteharzburgite massifs. At Unst, the osmium isotope results identify ‘unradiogenic’ Os/Os values for ‘primary’ PGMs (e.g., 0.12043–12558 with median of 0.12441, n=33), being within uncertainty of the chromitite composition (0.1240± 0.0006). At Guli, the Os-isotope systematics of iridian osmium and chromitite also show compatible ‘unradiogenic’ values (Os/Os = 0.1243 ± 0.0001 and Os/Os = 0.1242 ± 0.0004, respectively).
Sandy river sediments arising during bridge construction were spread on a partially restored brow... more Sandy river sediments arising during bridge construction were spread on a partially restored brownfield site for natural dewatering, prior to seeding with reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) for phytostabilisation, soil formation and perennial energy crop production (1). Material was excavated mid-channel from the river bed in early 2008 via a temporary coffer dam required during construction of the river pier of the Infinity Bridge (3). This section of the RiverTees was originally tidal until construction of the Tees Barrage in 1995 by the Teesside Development Corporation. The restoration and remediation of this extensive derelict former heavy industrial area was begun following Margaret Thatcher’s famously photographed “walk in the wilderness” in 1987 (4). In early February 2008 the excavated sediments were tipped wet onto a partially restored area of made ground, underlain by steel slag, then spread by excavator and dozer (photo 1). By early April the placed material had drie...
Determining the source of infiltrating surface water into a groundwater system is often difficult... more Determining the source of infiltrating surface water into a groundwater system is often difficult, especially when the candidates are chemically similar. Here we explore how organic biomarkers that naturally occur at the surface can be used to establish the source of infiltration. This novel approach to groundwater tracing avoids the need to add chemical tracers to the water system; such tracers are often not fully recoverable and may be damaging to the environment. Different surface environments have specific biomarker signatures, reflecting the flora and fauna in each particular environment. As surface water infiltrates it transports surface organic biomarkers into the groundwater system. Analyses of biomarker signatures from different surface environments can therefore be compared to that of the groundwater under investigation. Here we present the results of a case study using naturally occuring biomarkers to trace the source and infiltration pathways of the groundwater, in combi...
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2011
Abstract A consequence of the increased requirements for renewable energy is likely to be allocat... more Abstract A consequence of the increased requirements for renewable energy is likely to be allocation of more land to bio-energy crop production. Recent regulatory changes in England, as in other parts of the UK, mean that changes in land-use are increasingly ...
Following sub-surface coal extraction, workings become flooded and represent a potential aquifer ... more Following sub-surface coal extraction, workings become flooded and represent a potential aquifer for shallow geothermal development projects. We investigate the internal structure of collapsed mine workings in surface exposures of pillar and stall mine workings exposed through coastal erosion at Whitley Bay, NE England, UK. These workings collapsed in stages, leaving a clay-rich anthropogenic sedimentary layer consisting of collapse breccias and muds that gradually reduce the permeability of the system. Our data suggests workings do not collapse as individual events and that sections near pillars may remain open to flow for years after the rest of the workings have collapsed.
Biomass fuel composition is compared to host soil contamination for energy crops grown on five co... more Biomass fuel composition is compared to host soil contamination for energy crops grown on five contrasting sites in NE England. These include three contaminated brownfield sites and control sites in both urban and rural settings. Fuel quality is compared for willow (Salix spp.) short rotation coppice (SRC), miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). The information is used to assess the potential for long-term remediation of contaminated land during energy crop growth. Concentrations of Zn and Cd are consistently higher in SRC willow for a given site, whereas the grasses have higher ash contents, which are richer in SiO2 but lower in K2O. Preparatory site work and planting of the full-scale demonstrations carried out under the Life III Environment Programme are described together with an analysis of the wider economic, environmental and social benefits of this sustainable type of reuse of derelict brownfield land and car...
8 Fault architecture and fracture network evolution (and resulting bulk hydraulic properties) are... more 8 Fault architecture and fracture network evolution (and resulting bulk hydraulic properties) are highly 9 dependent on the mechanical properties of the rocks at the time the structures developed. This paper 10 investigates the role of mechanical layering and pre-existing structures on the evolution of strike-slip 11 faults and fracture networks. Detailed mapping of exceptionally well exposed fluvial-deltaic lithologies 12 at Spireslack Surface Coal Mine, Scotland, reveals two phases of faulting with an initial sinistral, and 13 later dextral, sense of shear with ongoing pre-, synand post-faulting joint sets. We find fault zone 14 internal structure depends on whether the fault is self-juxtaposed or cuts multiple lithologies, the 15 presence of shale layers which promote bed-rotation and fault-core lens formation, and the orientation 16 of joints and coal cleats at the time of faulting. During ongoing deformation, cementation of fractures is 17 concentrated where the fracture networ...
Beneficial use of dredged sediments, either in harbours or waterways, is based on their potential... more Beneficial use of dredged sediments, either in harbours or waterways, is based on their potential as alternative resources. Such sediments can be considered as bulk materials for industrial needs, which is predicated on their current waste status or meeting end-of-waste constraints. They also can be an integral part of beneficial use projects using sediments as a bulk component, including civil engineering and landscaping. This is particularly important for beneficial use projects focusing on climate change effects mitigation, such as flood protection works, coastline defence or littoral urban areas redevelopment. When dredged sediment is used as a bulk material, its acceptability is based on an assumed homogeneity of its properties. On-site analyses allow pre-dredging detailed mapping at a denser scale than laboratory ones; monitoring dredgings during operations and during processing; and continuous control of their properties at the implementation site. This is currently possible ...
Dredged sediments from maintenance work on Scotland’s network of four operational canals are an u... more Dredged sediments from maintenance work on Scotland’s network of four operational canals are an underutilised resource. This poster will present progress that has been made to investigate different remedial approaches to improving the geotechnical properties of dredged canal sediments while addressing any residual issues related to industrial impacts and residual contamination. Dredged sediments from maintenance work on Scotland’s network of four operational canals are an underutilised resource. It divides roughly into two groups with different challenges for reuse or recycling: In the Highlands, the Caledonian and Crinan Canals, immediate reuse of typically clean material is largely presented by remoteness and the associated challenges of dewatering for transport, materials separation and the infrequency of any receiving engineering works; In contrast, in the Lowland Forth and Clyde or Union Canals, the legacy of industrial activity requires detailed testing, dewatering and recycli...
A ‘primary’ euhedrally shaped (up to 110 μm in size) platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblage main... more A ‘primary’ euhedrally shaped (up to 110 μm in size) platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblage mainly composed of laurite, osmian iridium and iridian osmium occur as solitary or composite inclusions in chromite. The preponderance of laurite and Os-rich alloys is consistent with a negatively sloped chondrite-normalized platinumgroup elements (PGE) pattern, typical of podiform chromitites from mantle sections for globally distributed duniteharzburgite massifs. At Unst, the osmium isotope results identify ‘unradiogenic’ Os/Os values for ‘primary’ PGMs (e.g., 0.12043–12558 with median of 0.12441, n=33), being within uncertainty of the chromitite composition (0.1240± 0.0006). At Guli, the Os-isotope systematics of iridian osmium and chromitite also show compatible ‘unradiogenic’ values (Os/Os = 0.1243 ± 0.0001 and Os/Os = 0.1242 ± 0.0004, respectively).
Sandy river sediments arising during bridge construction were spread on a partially restored brow... more Sandy river sediments arising during bridge construction were spread on a partially restored brownfield site for natural dewatering, prior to seeding with reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) for phytostabilisation, soil formation and perennial energy crop production (1). Material was excavated mid-channel from the river bed in early 2008 via a temporary coffer dam required during construction of the river pier of the Infinity Bridge (3). This section of the RiverTees was originally tidal until construction of the Tees Barrage in 1995 by the Teesside Development Corporation. The restoration and remediation of this extensive derelict former heavy industrial area was begun following Margaret Thatcher’s famously photographed “walk in the wilderness” in 1987 (4). In early February 2008 the excavated sediments were tipped wet onto a partially restored area of made ground, underlain by steel slag, then spread by excavator and dozer (photo 1). By early April the placed material had drie...
Determining the source of infiltrating surface water into a groundwater system is often difficult... more Determining the source of infiltrating surface water into a groundwater system is often difficult, especially when the candidates are chemically similar. Here we explore how organic biomarkers that naturally occur at the surface can be used to establish the source of infiltration. This novel approach to groundwater tracing avoids the need to add chemical tracers to the water system; such tracers are often not fully recoverable and may be damaging to the environment. Different surface environments have specific biomarker signatures, reflecting the flora and fauna in each particular environment. As surface water infiltrates it transports surface organic biomarkers into the groundwater system. Analyses of biomarker signatures from different surface environments can therefore be compared to that of the groundwater under investigation. Here we present the results of a case study using naturally occuring biomarkers to trace the source and infiltration pathways of the groundwater, in combi...
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2011
Abstract A consequence of the increased requirements for renewable energy is likely to be allocat... more Abstract A consequence of the increased requirements for renewable energy is likely to be allocation of more land to bio-energy crop production. Recent regulatory changes in England, as in other parts of the UK, mean that changes in land-use are increasingly ...
Following sub-surface coal extraction, workings become flooded and represent a potential aquifer ... more Following sub-surface coal extraction, workings become flooded and represent a potential aquifer for shallow geothermal development projects. We investigate the internal structure of collapsed mine workings in surface exposures of pillar and stall mine workings exposed through coastal erosion at Whitley Bay, NE England, UK. These workings collapsed in stages, leaving a clay-rich anthropogenic sedimentary layer consisting of collapse breccias and muds that gradually reduce the permeability of the system. Our data suggests workings do not collapse as individual events and that sections near pillars may remain open to flow for years after the rest of the workings have collapsed.
Biomass fuel composition is compared to host soil contamination for energy crops grown on five co... more Biomass fuel composition is compared to host soil contamination for energy crops grown on five contrasting sites in NE England. These include three contaminated brownfield sites and control sites in both urban and rural settings. Fuel quality is compared for willow (Salix spp.) short rotation coppice (SRC), miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). The information is used to assess the potential for long-term remediation of contaminated land during energy crop growth. Concentrations of Zn and Cd are consistently higher in SRC willow for a given site, whereas the grasses have higher ash contents, which are richer in SiO2 but lower in K2O. Preparatory site work and planting of the full-scale demonstrations carried out under the Life III Environment Programme are described together with an analysis of the wider economic, environmental and social benefits of this sustainable type of reuse of derelict brownfield land and car...
8 Fault architecture and fracture network evolution (and resulting bulk hydraulic properties) are... more 8 Fault architecture and fracture network evolution (and resulting bulk hydraulic properties) are highly 9 dependent on the mechanical properties of the rocks at the time the structures developed. This paper 10 investigates the role of mechanical layering and pre-existing structures on the evolution of strike-slip 11 faults and fracture networks. Detailed mapping of exceptionally well exposed fluvial-deltaic lithologies 12 at Spireslack Surface Coal Mine, Scotland, reveals two phases of faulting with an initial sinistral, and 13 later dextral, sense of shear with ongoing pre-, synand post-faulting joint sets. We find fault zone 14 internal structure depends on whether the fault is self-juxtaposed or cuts multiple lithologies, the 15 presence of shale layers which promote bed-rotation and fault-core lens formation, and the orientation 16 of joints and coal cleats at the time of faulting. During ongoing deformation, cementation of fractures is 17 concentrated where the fracture networ...
Uploads
Papers by Richard Lord