RILS research team partners with government and industry testing a new land reclamation technique

Led by Ir Prof Jian-hua YIN from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a research team of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) has developed an innovative technique for land reclamation using horizontal band drains to aid vacuum preloading to facilitate reuse of dredged sediment as fill material. A laboratory-scale physical model test has been successfully conducted at PolyU to demonstrate the principles and effectiveness of the technique. The model test is supported by a Research Impact Fund (HK$9,876,600) entitled “Study of Super-fast Large-area Economical Marine Reclamations for Housing and Infrastructural Developments in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area” from the Research Grants Council. A prototype field trial has recently started in a testing pit (base size of 12 m x 8 m and depth of 3.5 m) in Tung Chung in collaboration with Civil Engineering and Development Department of the Government, AECOM, and Build King-Samsung C&T Joint Venture to prove the practicality and constructability of the technique in the field. The outcome of the field trial will provide a vital reference for sustainable marine reclamation in Hong Kong and will make significant academic advancement in solving soft ground problems.