Analytical Solution for One-Dimensional Diffusion of Organic Pollutants in a Geomembrane–Bentonite Composite Barrier and Parametric Analyses
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 1
Abstract
Geomembrane–bentonite composite barrier is known as one of the most reliable and effective technologies for containing underground contamination. Analytical solution for one-dimensional diffusion of an organic solute in the three-layered composite barrier is presented for the case in which the barrier is keyed in aquitard. Parametric analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of partition coefficient and installation location of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane, retardation factor, and thickness of bentonite slurry wall on the barrier performance using this analytical solution. The analysis results demonstrate that the containment performance of the composite barrier depends much on the partition coefficient of HDPE geomembrane over the target pollutant. The HDPE geomembrane exhibits an excellent resistance to the hydrophilic organics, which have a low partition coefficient. However, the hydrophobic organics, which have a high partition coefficient, can diffuse readily through the HDPE geomembrane. It is found that there is a special value of partition coefficient (i.e., ) at which a peak value was calculated for the mass flux through the composite barrier and a minimum value for the breakthrough time. The containment performance of the composite barrier can be enhanced by 10–20% by choosing an optimal installation location of HDPE geomembrane. An increase in the retardation factor of the bentonite results in a delay in the occurrence of the stable mass flux, but does not change its magnitude. An increase in the wall thickness not only delays the occurrence of the stable mass flux, but also significantly reduces its magnitude.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to appreciate the support of the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China Program 863 (Project No. 2012AA062601) and the National Natural Science Foundation of major international cooperation projects (Project No. 51010008).
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Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 1 • January 2014
Pages: 57 - 68
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 16, 2013
Accepted: Sep 16, 2013
Published online: Sep 18, 2013
Published in print: Jan 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 18, 2014
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