Hydraulic Conductivity of Geosynthetic Clay Liners to Recirculated Municipal Solid Waste Leachates
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 2
Abstract
Tests were conducted to assess how permeation with actual recirculated leachate from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills affects the hydraulic conductivity and exchange complex of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). Long-term hydraulic conductivity tests were conducted () on GCL specimens with conventional sodium bentonite using seven recirculated MSW leachates and one conventional (nonrecirculated) MSW leachate as permeant liquids. Effects of stress and temperature were also assessed. Hydraulic termination criteria were achieved for all tests, and chemical termination criteria were achieved for nearly all. The long-term hydraulic conductivity of the GCL specimens to recirculated leachates () was slightly less than the long-term hydraulic conductivity to the conventional leachate (). Furthermore, the ratio of the hydraulic conductivity to recirculated MSW leachate to the hydraulic conductivity to DI water for GCL specimens (1.4–2.9) fell within the range reported in other studies where GCLs were permeated with conventional MSW leachate (0.05–2.6). The long-term hydraulic conductivities to recirculated and conventional MSW leachate at 70 kPa were low () because of the relatively low ionic strength of the leachates () and the preponderance of monovalent cations in the leachate. Geosynthetic clay liner specimens tested at higher stress (70 versus 20 kPa) had lower hydraulic conductivity (2.3–3.0 times lower), which slowed mass delivery of exchangeable cations and thereby delayed exchange processes and corresponding changes in hydraulic conductivity. Gas production from biological activity can be minimized during leachate compatibility testing by reducing the temperature to 4°C without compromising cation exchange processes and related effects on hydraulic conductivity. Leakage data from two landfills showed that leakage rates from composite liners with a GCL can be very low () when the landfill is operated with leachate recirculation.
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Acknowledgments
CETCO, the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CMMI-0625850), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided financial support for this study. DOE support was provided under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC01-06EW07053 entitled “Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation III.” The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of CETCO, the National Science Foundation, or the Department of Energy. Andrew Phillips, Cole Christiansen, Missy Setz, Amara Meier, Erin Berns, and Ross Tipton contributed to this study through the Undergraduate Research Experience in Geological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 2 • February 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 21, 2014
Accepted: Jun 12, 2015
Published online: Aug 26, 2015
Discussion open until: Jan 26, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2016
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