Towards the Circular Soil Concept: Optimization of Engineered Soils for Green Infrastructure Application

At conventional construction sites, the removal of soil and other excavated materials causes enormous mass movement, with a significant climate impact and contribution to global CO2 release. This study aimed to generate a Circular Soil concept for reusing excavated materials by creating engineered s...

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Published inSustainability Vol. 14; no. 2; p. 905
Main Authors Minixhofer, Pia, Scharf, Bernhard, Hafner, Sebastian, Weiss, Oliver, Henöckl, Christina, Greiner, Moritz, Room, Thomas, Stangl, Rosemarie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2022
Subjects
Carbon dioxide
Climate change
Collaboration
Concrete
Construction
Construction industry
Construction sites
Grain size distribution
Green buildings
Green infrastructure
Green roofs
Horticulture
Infrastructure
Landscaping
Onsite
Optimization
Plant growth
Resource management
Size distribution
Soil management
Soils
Sustainability
Sustainable design
Sustainable development
Urban areas
Vegetation
Austria
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Summary:At conventional construction sites, the removal of soil and other excavated materials causes enormous mass movement, with a significant climate impact and contribution to global CO2 release. This study aimed to generate a Circular Soil concept for reusing excavated materials by creating engineered soils for landscape construction at large building sites. Engineered soils act as a substitute for natural soils and fulfill vital technical and soil functions when installing an urban green infrastructure (GI). In a field study, the vegetation performance on engineered soils was evaluated to establish a methodological approach, to assess the applicability of the Circular Soil concept. First, the technical specifications (grain-size distribution) were modeled for intensive green roof and turfgrass applications. Then, the soil components were optimized, mixed, installed and tested for greenery purposes, focusing on plant growth performance indicators (vitality, projective cover ratio and grass-herb ratio) to assess the vegetation performance. The results showed that the engineered soils match the performance of the reference soil alternatives. In conclusion, the Circular Soil concept has a high potential to contribute considerably to sustainable on-site soil management and the circular economy. It can be applied on a larger scale for urban GI development and sustainable resources management in the landscaping and construction sector.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su14020905