Concrete grinding residue characterization and influence on infiltration

Concrete grinding residue (CGR) is a slurry byproduct created by concrete pavement maintenance operations. Disposal of CGR slurry is presently regulated on the basis of very minimal information. The least immediate expense is incurred by spreading CGR slurry directly on vegetated roadway ditches and embankments. The direct disposal impacts to environmental quality in terms of soil physical or chemical properties are not known. Five CGR materials from widely dispersed sites in the United States were analyzed for particle size distribution and evaluated with a suite of USEPA physical and chemical analyses. Values found for the parameters examined are not considered harmful. An infiltration column study was also conducted in which two CGRs were mixed at 8 and 25% by weight and also surface applied 2.5 mm deep with two contrasting (relatively fine and coarse textured) soils. With the finer soil, statistically (p < 0.05) significant decrease in infiltration time (increased infiltration rate) was associated with the 25% and surface-applied CGR treatments, compared with the untreated control soil. The results indicate that excessive application of CGR may increase water infiltration into soil in the short-term. This should be kept in mind, but does not appear to be generally detrimental.