Reliability-Based Design Optimization of Biopolymer-Amended Soil as an Alternative Landfill Liner Material
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 26, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper presents our findings on the effect of adding biopolymers to locally available soil to form low-cost alternative landfill liner materials. Hydraulic conductivity is the key parameter for assessing the suitability of any geomaterial as a landfill liner. In view of this, the hydraulic conductivity of biopolymer-modified soil was determined at various dosages. Two biopolymers—xanthan gum and guar gum—were used in the experimental work at dosages of 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 4% by weight of dry soil mass. The results indicated that the hydraulic conductivity values decreased with an increase in biopolymer content and consolidation pressure (σcp). The influence of xanthan gum content (G1) and guar gum content (G2) on the soil hydraulic conductivity is represented by nonlinear regression models based on experimental data obtained for σcps of 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 kPa. The performance of the soils was assessed using reliability-based design optimization methodology. The optimal mixtures of cohesive soils blended with a range of G1 and G2 were evaluated considering the variability associated with the dosages of G1 and G2, and the σcp.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This project was financially supported by the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India, under Research Seed Grant No. P1015 and the Ministry of Education (formerly known as the Ministry of Human Resources and Development), Government of India. The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped improve the original manuscript.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- Cc
- compression index value;
- Cs
- swelling index value;
- Cv
- coefficient of consolidation;
- FS
- factors of safety against hydraulic conductivity failure of untreated cohesive soil;
- FSG1
- factors of safety against hydraulic conductivity failure of xanthan-gum-treated cohesive soil;
- FSG2
- factors of safety against hydraulic conductivity failure of guar-gum-treated cohesive soil;
- G1
- xanthan gum content;
- g1(x)
- limit state function for xanthan-gum-treated soil;
- G2
- guar gum content;
- g2(x)
- limit state function for guar-gum-treated soil;
- g(x)
- limit state function for untreated soil;
- K (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of soil;
- Kexp (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of soil obtained from experiment;
- Kfit (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of untreated soil obtained from curve fitting;
- (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of soil with G1 obtained from experiment;
- (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of soil with G1 obtained from curve fitting;
- (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of soil with G2 obtained from experiment;
- (cm/s)
- hydraulic conductivity of soil with G2 obtained from curve fitting;
- Kmax (cm/s)
- maximum specified hydraulic conductivity of soil as per regulatory standards;
- Pf
- probability of liner material failure;
- R2
- coefficient of multiple determination;
- adjusted coefficient of multiple determination;
- β
- reliability index;
- reliability index against hydraulic conductivity failure of xanthan-gum-treated soil;
- reliability index against hydraulic conductivity failure of guar-gum-treated soil; and
- σcp
- consolidation pressure.
References
Alsabahi, E., S. A. Rahim, W. Y. W. Zuhairi, F. Alnozaily, and F. Alshaebi. 2009. “The characteristics of leachate and groundwater pollution at municipal solid waste landfill of Ibb city, Yemen.” Am. J. Environ. Sci. 5 (3): 256–266. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2009.256.266.
Ashfaq, M., A. A. B. Moghal, and B. M. Basha. 2021. “Reliability-based design optimization of chemically stabilized coal gangue.” J. Test. Eval. 50 (6): 20210176. https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE20210176.
ASTM. 2012. Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using standard effort (12 400 ft-lbf/ft3 (600 kN-m/m3)). ASTM D698-12e2. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2017. Standard test methods for liquid limit, plastic limit and plasticity index of soils. ASTM D4318-17el. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2021. Standard test methods for one-dimensional swell or collapse of soils. ASTM D4546-21. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Ayeldeen, M., A. M. Negm, and M. A. El Sawwaf. 2016. “Evaluating the physical characteristics of biopolymer/sand mixtures.” Arab. J. Geosci. 9 (5): 371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2366-1.
Basha, B. M., and G. L. S. Babu. 2012. “Target reliability based optimization for internal seismic stability of reinforced soil structures.” Geotechnique 62 (1): 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.8.P.076.
Biju, M. S., and D. N. Arnepalli. 2020. “Effect of biopolymers on permeability of sand-bentonite mixtures.” J. Rock Mech. Geotech. Eng. 12 (5): 1093–1102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2020.02.004.
Bohn, H., B. McNeal, and G. O’Connor. 1985. Soil chemistry. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley Interscience.
Cabalar, A. F., M. H. Awraheem, and M. M. Khalaf. 2018. “Geotechnical properties of a low-plasticity clay with biopolymer.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 30 (8): 04018170. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002380.
Camillis, M. D., G. D. Emidio, A. Bezuijen, and R. D. Verástegui-Flores. 2016. “Hydraulic conductivity and swelling ability of a polymer modified bentonite subjected to wet-dry cycles in seawater.” Geotext. Geomembr. 44 (5): 739–747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2016.05.007.
Chang, I., M. Lee, A. T. P. Tran, S. Lee, Y.-M. Kwon, J. Im, and G. C. Cho. 2020. “Review on biopolymer based soil treatment (BBST) technology in geotechnical engineering practices.” Transp. Geotech. 24: 100385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2020.100385.
Dafalla, M., A. A. Shaker, T. Elkady, M. Al-Shamrani, and A. Dhowian. 2015. “Effects of confining pressure and effective stress on hydraulic conductivity of sand-clay mixtures.” Arab. J. Geosci. 8 (11): 9993–10001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1925-1.
Etemadi, O., I. G. Petrisor, D. Kim, M. Wan, and T. F. Yen. 2003. “Stabilization of metals in subsurface by biopolymers: Laboratory drainage flow studies.” Soil Sediment Contam. 12 (5): 647–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/714037712.
Grasdalen, H., and T. Painter. 1980. “NMR studies of composition and sequence in legume-seed galactomannans.” Carbohydr. Res. 81 (1): 59–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-6215(00)85677-3.
Gregory, J., and S. Barany. 2011. “Adsorption and flocculation by polymers and polymer mixtures.” Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 169 (1): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2011.06.004.
Gueddouda, M. K., I. Goual, B. Benabed, S. Taibi, and N. Aboubekr. 2016. “Hydraulic properties of dune sand-bentonite mixtures of insulation barriers for hazardous waste facilities.” J. Rock. Mech. Geotech. Eng. 8 (4): 541–550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2016.02.003.
Hoornweg, D., and P. Bhada-Tata. 2012. What a waste: A global review of solid waste management. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Katzenbauer, B. 1998. “Properties and applications of xanthan gum.” Polym. Degrad. Stab. 59 (1–3): 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0141-3910(97)00180-8.
Khan, M. R. 2017. “Adsorption of lead by bentonite clay.” Int. J. Sci. Res. Manage. Stud. 5 (7): 5800–5804.
Koerner, R. M. 2005. Design with geosynthetics. 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Lakshmikantha, H., and P. V. Sivapullaiah. 2006. “Relative performance of lime stabilized amended clay liners in different pore fluids.” Geotech. Geol. Eng. 24 (5): 1425–1448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-005-0886-7.
Millard, A., N. Mokni, J. D. Barnichon, K. E. Thatcher, A. E. Bond, and A. Fraser-Harris. 2016. “Comparative modelling of laboratory experiments for the hydromechanical behaviour of a compacted bentonite-sand mixture.” Environ. Earth Sci. 75 (19): 1311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6118-z.
Moghal, A. A. B., A. K. Al-Obaid, and T. O. Refeai. 2014. “Effect of accelerated loading on the compressibility characteristics of lime treated semi arid soils.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 26 (5): 1009–1016. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)mt.1943-5533.0000882.
Moghal, A. A. B., A. K. Al-Obaid, T. O. Refeai, and M. A. Al-Shamrani. 2015. “Compressibility and durability characteristics of lime treated expansive semiarid soils.” J. Test. Eval. 43 (2): 255–263. https://doi.org/10.1520/jte20140060.
Moghal, A. A. B., B. M. Basha, and M. Ashfaq. 2019. “Probabilistic study on the geotechnical behavior of fiber reinforced soil.” In Frontiers in geotechnical engineering. Developments in geotechnical engineering, edited by G. M. Latha, 345–367. Singapore: Springer.
Moghal, A. A. B., B. M. Basha, B. Chittoori, and M. A. Al-Shamrani. 2016. “Effect of fiber reinforcement on the hydraulic conductivity behavior of lime treated expansive soil – Reliability based optimization perspective.” In Geo-China 2016: Innovative and sustainable use of geomaterials and geosystems, Geotechnical Special Publication 263, edited by W.-C. Cheng, and J. Y. Wu, 25–34. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Moghal, A. A. B., and P. V. Sivapullaiah. 2011. “Effect of pozzolanic reactivity on compressibility characteristics of stabilised low lime fly ashes.” Geotech. Geol. Eng. 29 (5): 665–673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-011-9408-y.
Moghal, A. A. B., and K. V. Vydehi. 2021. “State-of-the-art review on efficacy of xanthan gum and guar gum inclusion on the engineering behavior of soils.” Innov. Infrastruct. Solut. 6 (2): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-021-00462-8.
Mor, S., K. Ravindra, R. P. Dahiya, and A. Chandra. 2006. “Leachate characterization and assessment of groundwater pollution near municipal solid waste landfill site.” Environ. Monit. Assess. 118 (1–3): 435–456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-1505-7.
Muller, R. 2008. “Biodegradability of polymers: Regulations and methods of testing.” In Chap. 12 and vol. 10 of Biopolymers, general aspects and special applications, edited by A. Steinbüchel, 366–388. New York: Wiley.
Nair, N. R., V. C. Sekhar, K. M. Nampoothiri, and A. Pandey. 2017. “Biodegradation of biopolymers.” In Current developments in biotechnology and bioengineering, edited by Ashok Pandey, Sangeeta Negi, and Carlos Ricardo Soccol, 739–755. New York: Elsevier.
Nugent, R. A., G. Zhang, and R. P. Gambrell. 2011. “The effect of exo-polymers on the compressibility of clays.” In Geo-frontiers 2011: Advances in geotechnical engineering, Geotechnical Special Publication 211, edited by J. Han, and D. E. Alzamora, 3935–3944. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Petrov, R. J., R. K. Rowe, and R. M. Quigley. 1997. “Selected factors influencing GCL hydraulic conductivity.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. 123 (8): 683–695. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1997)123:8(683).
Rackwitz, R., and B. Fiessler. 1978. “Structural reliability under combined random load sequences.” Comput. Struct. 9 (5): 489–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/0045-7949(78)90046-9.
Rowe, R. K., and R. W. I. Brachman. 2004. “Assessment of equivalence of composite liners.” Geosynth. Int. 11 (4): 273–286. https://doi.org/10.1680/gein.2004.11.4.273.
Shackelford, C. D. 2003. “Geoenvironmental engineering.” In Encyclopedia of physical science and technology, 3rd edition., edited by R. A. Meyers, 601–621. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
Shaker, A. A., M. A. Al-Shamrani, A. A. B. Moghal, and K. V. Vydehi. 2021. “Effect of confining conditions on the hydraulic conductivity behavior of fiber-reinforced lime blended semiarid soil.” Materials 14 (11): 3120. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14113120.
Singh, S. P., and R. Das. 2020. “Geo-engineering properties of expansive soil treated with xanthan gum biopolymer.” Geomech. Geoeng. 15 (2): 107–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/17486025.2019.1632495.
Vydehi, K. V., and A. A. B. Moghal. 2022. “Effect of biopolymeric stabilization on the strength and compressibility characteristics of cohesive soil.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 34 (2): 04021428. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0004068.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 26 • Issue 3 • July 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 4, 2021
Accepted: Jan 5, 2022
Published online: Feb 24, 2022
Published in print: Jul 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 24, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Romana Mariyam Rasheed, Arif Ali Baig Moghal, Compressibility and Durability Characteristics of Protein-Based Biopolymer-Amended Organic Soil, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-17285, 36, 7, (2024).
- Gudla Amulya, Arif Ali Baig Moghal, Abdullah Almajed, Sustainable Binary Blending for Low-Volume Roads—Reliability-Based Design Approach and Carbon Footprint Analysis, Materials, 10.3390/ma16052065, 16, 5, (2065), (2023).
- Morteza Khaleghi, Masood Heidarvand, A novel study on hydro-mechanical characteristics of biopolymer-stabilized dune sand, Journal of Cleaner Production, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136518, 398, (136518), (2023).
- Yeong-Man Kwon, Ilhan Chang, Gye-Chun Cho, Consolidation and swelling behavior of kaolinite clay containing xanthan gum biopolymer, Acta Geotechnica, 10.1007/s11440-023-01794-8, (2023).
- Gudla Amulya, Arif Ali Baig Moghal, B. Munwar Basha, Abdullah Almajed, Coupled Effect of Granite Sand and Calcium Lignosulphonate on the Strength Behavior of Cohesive Soil, Buildings, 10.3390/buildings12101687, 12, 10, (1687), (2022).