A successful pilot project demonstrating the re-use potential of bauxite residue in embankment construction

Bauxite residue (also called red mud) is the solid remainder of the bauxite industrial treatment by the Bayer process, which is universally applied for the aluminum production. The increasing public awareness for the environment is an incentive for establishment of alternative practices prescribing the use of this material. A wide range of applications exists for re-use of bauxite residue, more or less systematic with significant beneficial effects. In this paper, the outline of an extremely successful pilot project of a road embankment construction using bauxite residue is given. Furthermore the laboratory investigation of the physical and strength properties of bauxite residue throughout the research project and the quality control tests during construction are presented.