Low-Carbon Remediation Transforms Contaminated Marine Mud into Useful Construction Material

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A new study has found a low-carbon method to transform contaminated marine mud into a useful construction material. By combining the mud with aluminosilicate materials and simple activation, researchers produced solidified mixtures with strong mechanical performance and much lower heavy-metal leaching. The treated material reached unconfined compressive strengths well above the basic requirement for backfill use, while also meeting key environmental safety standards. This points to a practical way to recycle difficult sediments on site, reducing disposal pressure, lowering treatment costs, and supporting cleaner, more circular construction practices.

Why it matters

Marine mud is a major waste-management burden in fast-growing urban regions, as it is wet, sticky, difficult to handle, and often contaminated. Conventional stabilization methods rely heavily on carbon-intensive Portland cement, while alternative geopolymer approaches still depend on corrosive or costly activators. This new low-carbon remediation strategy offers a way to turn contaminated coastal sediments into a reusable resource rather than a disposal problem, easing pressure on landfills and aligning with wider sustainability goals.

The details

The researchers collected marine mud from a construction site in Macao and tested blends containing Portland cement, fly ash, slag, river sand, water, and low-concentration NaOH. The goal was to find a mix that could improve strength, suppress heavy-metal release, and remain practical for large-scale site use. The strongest optimized mixtures achieved unconfined compressive strengths above the 1 MPa benchmark for backfill application, while also sharply reducing the leaching of contaminants like As, Ba, Cd, Cr, and Pb. Analyses showed the stabilized mud developed mineral and gel phases that helped explain the improved strength and contaminant immobilization.

• The study was reported online on January 10, 2026.
• The research was supported by funding from Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, China, Shenzhen Science and Technology Program, and an International Collaboration Project.

What’s next

The researchers plan to further optimize the low-carbon remediation formulations and explore larger-scale demonstrations of the technology in coastal construction projects.