Sustainable and Environment-Friendly Infrastructure Development: A Study for Waste Management and Circular Economy

Abstract

Infrastructure development needs sustainable and innovative methods that minimize the environmental impact while sustaining structural integrity. For instance, traditionally subgrade stabilization methods relied on materials (i.e. cement or sand) or mechanical compaction, which consumed extensive natural resources or significantly contributed to carbon emissions. On the other hand, the waste management of sewage sludge, which is frequently disposed of without consideration of its potential value, represents a critical challenge. The study examines the performance of clayey soil treated with varying proportions (2%, 4%, and 6%) of sludge powder for geotechnical improvement. The expensive soil sample was collected from problematic zone. The results indicated that sludge powder improved the performance of soil and demonstrated economic and environmental benefits of soil modifiers which resulted in reduction of approximately 17.42 million PKR and 71,282 Kg carbon dioxide emissions for two lane highway pavement with dimensions (500m x12m x 0.2m) and 1649.9 Kg/m³ dry density of soil. This research will help to develop sustainable, eco-friendly infrastructure and promote circular economy while improving soil performance in parallel.