Aging of HDPE Geomembrane in Three Composite Landfill Liner Configurations
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 7
Abstract
Laboratory-accelerated aging experiments conducted to examine the depletion of antioxidant from a geomembrane (GM) underlain by a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) are described. Three different “protection” layers between the GM and overlying gravel and leachate are examined: (1) A traditional nonwoven geotextile (GT); (2) a GT-GCL; and (3) a GT-sand-GT layer. The GT-GCL protection layer gives an antioxidant depletion rate 0.59 to 0.66 times slower than the GT layer alone. The GT-sand-GT layer gives depletion rates 0.72–0.75 times that of the conventional GT alone. Based on Arrhenius modeling, the time required for depletion of antioxidants at is estimated to be 65 years for a GM with a GT-GCL protection layer, 50 years for a GT-sand-GT layer, and 40 years for a conventional GT protection layer. These times are all significantly greater than the depletion time for GM immersed in leachate (10 years) for the geomembrane tested.
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Acknowledgments
The research presented in this paper was funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Ontario Innovation Trust, and Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (and Ontario Center of Excellence). The Bentofix (Bentofix Technologies Inc., Barrie, Ontario, Canada) Thermal Lock NWL GCL tested was provided by Terrafix Geosythetics Inc., Toronto, Canada. The writers are grateful to their industrial partners Solmax International, Terrafix Geosynthetics Inc, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Gartner Lee Ltd, AMEC Earth and Environmental, Golder Associates Ltd., and CTT group and especially to Terrafix Geosynthetics Inc. (Toronto, Canada) for providing the geosynthetics tested. Support from Dr. Henri P. Sangam in the initial stages of this project is gratefully acknowledged. The value of discussion with Dr. Grace Hsuan and Dr. Richard Brachman is greatly appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 7 • July 2008
Pages: 906 - 916
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© 2008 ASCE.
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Received: Jun 27, 2007
Accepted: Oct 26, 2007
Published online: Jul 1, 2008
Published in print: Jul 2008
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