Research on technological innovation and industrial development in river and lake sediment treatment

The pervasive siltation conditions afflicting China's rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are steadily worsening at an alarming rate, posing severe, multi-dimensional threats to the structural integrity and operational safety of critical hydraulic infrastructure such as dams, levees, and navigation channels, while simultaneously undermining water quality, impairing ecological functions, degrading habitats, and eroding the economic and environmental sustainability of aquatic systems; consequently, the strategic management and remediation of accumulated sediments have become an indispensable and urgent priority within national water governance frameworks and river basin conservation strategies, necessitating the immediate establishment of a comprehensive, technologically sophisticated, and operationally resilient industrial chain centered on the core pillars of "high-precision detection, ultra-efficient dewatering, and environmentally sound utilization". This imperative calls for intensified cross-disciplinary technological integration and breakthrough innovation to reframe sediment from its current problematic identity as a persistent "safety hazard requiring costly containment and a significant remediation burden" into a valuable "strategic resource reserve, a driver of new quality productive forces, and a foundation for sustainable industrial development". Consequently, the scientific planning, coordinated deployment, and rigorous execution of targeted research and development initiatives—focusing on advanced in-situ sediment characterization methodologies, accelerated solidification and hardening processes for rapid strength acquisition, and high-value resource recovery pathways—are of paramount national significance. These endeavors are critically essential for substantially enhancing national water security resilience, driving the high-quality, sustainable advancement of water conservancy and waterborne transportation infrastructure in the new era, and fostering a viable, scalable industrial ecosystem for sediment resource valorization. This seminal paper systematically synthesizes and articulates the overarching strategic objectives and core technical imperatives vital for the R&D of cutting-edge in-situ sediment detection, remediation, and valorization technologies. It conducts a rigorous analysis of the pivotal, unresolved scientific challenges requiring concerted investigation, specifically: (1) elucidating the intricate acoustic, optical, and electromagnetic response mechanisms of siltation deposits, along with their spatial and temporal variation characteristics under dynamically complex and heterogeneous environmental conditions; (2) pioneering high-fidelity detection and analytical techniques capable of precisely quantifying sediment distribution, composition, and properties by leveraging inherent and induced acoustic-optical-electrical signatures; (3) developing advanced intelligent data processing algorithms and constructing robust multi-source data fusion models to interpret complex sediment property datasets derived from diverse sensing modalities; (4) establishing fundamental theoretical frameworks describing the coupled hydro-mechanical-chemical behavior, deformation evolution, and strength development mechanisms governing the drainage consolidation of highly compressible, water-saturated soft soils subjected to complex multi-field interactions (including hydraulic, mechanical, thermal, and potentially biochemical fields) within spatially confined zones and under operationally constrained boundary conditions prevalent in practical engineering scenarios. Furthermore, the paper meticulously delineates the critical interdependencies between primary research tasks focused on sediment remediation engineering and the parallel objectives driving sustainable industrialization pathways. It methodically outlines the integrated scientific rationale, strategic implementation logic, and optimized technical progression routes necessary for achieving effective sediment management coupled with successful resource-based industrial development. Building upon this comprehensive foundation, the paper proposes and elaborates a cohesive, multi-component technological framework distinguished by its profound innovation, demonstrable practical applicability, and grounding in proprietary intellectual property with distinctive technical advantages. This integrated framework strategically encompasses: (i) next-generation intelligent siltation detection technologies paired with modular, field-deployable integrated sensing platforms for rapid, high-resolution characterization; (ii) a unified "Sky–Aerial (UAV/Lidar)–Ground (IoT sensors)–Waterborne (sonar/profilers)–Artificial (AI analytics)" Big Data Ecosystem enabling seamless, real-time acquisition, management, fusion, and intelligent interpretation of heterogeneous geospatial and geotechnical data streams; (iii) innovative distributed, multi-functional rapid drainage consolidation systems incorporating optimized prefabricated vertical drains, advanced vacuum consolidation techniques, and potentially electrokinetic or chemical acceleration methods, engineered for accelerated dewatering and strength enhancement across diverse site constraints; (iv) tailored resource utilization technologies and modular processing equipment designed to transform treated sediment into beneficial construction materials (e.g., fills, aggregates), soil amendments, or raw inputs for other industrial applications, thereby closing the resource loop. This holistically designed framework is strategically positioned to deliver robust and versatile scientific and technological foundations crucial for: effectively addressing urgent national and sectoral public welfare imperatives concerning water security and ecological restoration; providing reliable scientific guidance for the planning, detailed design, and efficient construction of major water infrastructure projects; and decisively advancing the industrialization of sediment resources to unlock their inherent value, foster circular economy principles, and generate tangible new quality productive forces contributing to sustainable national development.