Swelling characteristics of compacted lateritic soil–bentonite mixtures subjected to municipal waste leachate contamination

Compacted soil–bentonite mixtures are finding wide application as buffer material for waste repositories for their favorable self-sealing qualities. The swelling properties of such materials which serve as a measure of their self-sealing capabilities and, thus, the efficiency of the repository in sealing off their contents from the environment are closely related to the chemistry of the leachate that emanate from the wastes. For this reason, the swelling parameters (namely swelling potential and pressure) of compacted lateritic soil–bentonite mixtures under consideration for use as barrier in municipal waste landfill were evaluated. Series of swelling potential and pressure tests were performed using variable content (0–10 %) of bentonite at predetermined optimum moisture content. Soil mixtures were compacted with British Standard Heavy compactive effort and saturated with processed tap water as well as three leachate solutions of varying ionic strength that were generated in active open dump landfills. Experimental results showed that swelling potential based on the free swell together with the maximum swell pressures of compacted soil mixtures measured at equilibrium increased approximately linearly with increase in the amount of bentonite when inundated with processed tap water and the three leachate solutions. On the other hand, these swelling parameters decreased as the ionic strength of the leachate solutions measured by their electrical conductivity increased for the various soil mixtures. These results provide an insight into the swelling behavior and the possible degradation in the efficiency of the proposed lateritic soil–bentonite mixtures in relation to their use as buffer material in waste landfills.     

Analysis of biological clogging potential in a simulated compacted clay liner subjected to high-strength leachate infiltration

A bench scale study was conducted to assess the possibility and extent of biological clogging in compacted clayey soil exposed to high-strength leachate simulating conditions in a landfill. In two series of experiments, distilled–deionized water, slightly acidic water and fresh high-strength leachate were permeated through compacted clayey soil and the rate of infiltration was recorded. Colony-forming units per unit mass of soil were counted, and scanning electron microscope photographs were taken before and after termination of experiments. Results indicated that infiltration of leachate containing a very high concentration of organic matter followed a logistic fit indicating hydraulic clogging of the porous media. This was in agreement with a five order of magnitude greater bacterial growth compared to the original state of the soil and to cases where distilled–deionized and acidified water was used as the permeant. Water and acidified water infiltration followed a power fit indicating persistent infiltration through the end of experiments with no sign of clogging. Bacterial counts in these cases were similar to that of the original state of the soil. Photographs taken by scanning electron microscope also indicated formation of plate-like material within the soil texture in contrast to no change when water was used as the permeating fluid and to formation of holes when acidified water was infiltrated through the soil. It was concluded that biological clogging considerably reduced the rate of infiltration within compacted clayey soil shortly after exposure to high-strength leachate.     

The 14-year Performance of a Compacted Clay Liner used as Part of a Composite Liner System for a Leachate Lagoon

The migration of contaminants through a 2.9 m thick compacted clay liner (CCL) for a landfill leachate lagoon is examined 14 years after construction. The clay liner formed the lower portion of the composite liner system but the geomembrane (GM) was found to have defects that had allowed leachate to migrate between the GM and CCL. Chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium pore water profiles through the CCL are examined. It is shown that chloride migrated approximately 1.7 m into the CCL during the 14 years of the lagoon operation, sodium approximately 1.2 m, and potassium 0.7 m. Diffusion and sorption data from laboratory diffusion testing are utilized in combination with a finite layer contaminant transport model to predict field contaminant migration profiles through the composite liner system and to establish the time of ‘failure’ of the geomembrane at sometime between 0 and 6 years after installation. Relatively high sorptive uptake of potassium by the CCL soil is observed from batch testing and diffusion testing with field data suggesting an even larger amount of sorption. It is hypothesized that organic sludge matter at the base of the lagoon is responsible for potassium uptake from the leachate. This field case highlights the importance of the compacted clay liner as part of the composite liner system in acting as a diffusion barrier during the lifetime of the lagoon as well as using relatively non-conservative contaminants such as chloride and sodium to estimate geomembrane ‘failure’ times     

A study of the water retention curve of lime-treated London Clay

This paper investigates the drying and wetting soil water retention curves (SWRCs) of statically compacted lime-stabilised London Clay specimens. A series of tests were performed using the contact filter paper method, pressure plate apparatus and a suction-controlled triaxial system incorporating the axis translation technique. These investigated the water retention of the soil under different boundary and stress-state conditions and simultaneously determined the volume change in the soil during drying and wetting. Factors relevant to the lime treatment of soils, such as curing period and method (air vs. water curing), were also considered. Finally, the hysteresis of the SWRC of the chemically treated soil (for which there appears to be a lack of information in the international literature) was investigated. The results showed that the treatment with lime increased the volumetric stability but reduced the water retention ability due to a more open structure enabled by the flocculation and chemical bonding effects. Curing period and method effect appears to be small. Hysteresis was noted to some degree in all instances.     

冷镜露点技术在非饱和成都黏土吸力测试中的应用

冷镜露点技术是一种快速测试非饱和土吸力的间接方法。本文简要介绍了冷镜露点仪的工作原理和试验方法,利用Decagon公司生产的WP4C冷镜露点仪测试非饱和成都黏土压实土样的总吸力,以Van Genuchten模型为基础,结合Origin软件对试验结果进行了曲线拟合,得到成都黏土的SWCC曲线,并给出拟合参数参考值。借助CT-3031型电导率仪测得土样的渗透吸力,由基质吸力等于总吸力减去渗透吸力,间接得到土样的基质吸力-含水率关系曲线。对比滤纸法测试相同土样得到的SWCC曲线,得出相同含水率时冷镜露点技术测得的吸力值低于滤纸法测得的值,和国外文献的相关结论一致,验证了冷镜露点技术测试吸力具有快捷、方便、准确等特点。指出冷镜露点技术在非饱和成都黏土吸力测试应用中是可行的,同时可推广到国内岩土工程相关领域的吸力测试中。     

Leachate studies on fly ash-stabilised expansive clay liners

This paper presents leachate studies on fly ash-stabilised expansive clay liners. Fly ash in different contents (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) by dry weight of the expansive clay was added to the clay, and the ash-clay blend was compacted as a liner overlying a compacted lateritic clay layer. Deionised water (DIW) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) solutions of varying concentration (5 mM, 10 mM, 20 mM, 50 mM, 100 mM and 500 mM) were used as the permeating fluids in the leachate studies. Chemical analysis of the leachate was performed. For a given CaCl₂ concentration, the concentrations of both calcium ion and chloride ion in the leachate decreased up to a fly ash content of 20%, and thereafter they increased when the fly ash content was increased to 30%. Further, for a given fly ash content, concentrations of calcium ion and chloride ion increased with increasing CaCl₂ concentration.     

Hydraulic Conductivity Tests for Evaluating Compatibility of Lateritic Soil—Fly Ash Mixtures with Municipal Waste Leachate

Long term competent performance of liner systems is a critical issue in the design and construction of waste repositories due to adverse interactions associated with leachate generated by wastes. This study was conducted to verify the efficacy of fly ash stabilization in enhancing compatibility between lateritic soil and municipal waste leachate. Applications investigated include soil mixtures containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% fly ash compacted at approximately 2% wet of optimum moisture content with modified proctor energy. Baseline hydraulic conductivity was first established at every level of fly ash content by permeating soil mixtures with tap water before permeation with leachate in a compaction mould permeameter using the falling head test method. Results show that the trend in hydraulic conductivity of specimen containing 0% fly ash was characterized by a gradual but erratic decrease which may suggests partial entry of the leachate cations into the double layer. Conversely, specimens containing fly ash showed a general trend consisting of an initial drop in k (up to an order of magnitude) that was followed by slight decrease sustained until k stabilized and later terminated. Above 10% fly ash content, the relatively high values of k observed was not connected with the reactivity of the soil mixtures with leachate, rather it may be attributed to excessive fly ash content that altered their textural and hydraulic properties. The result of this study is potentially significant in the assessment of fly ash as a compatibility enhancing agent which can be admixed in barrier materials that are susceptible to adverse reactions with the liquid to be contained.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987115000638

This study presents new thickness maps of post-Cretaceous sedimentary strata beneath central London.1100 borehole records were analysed.London Clay is thickest in the west;thicker deposits extend as a narrow finger along the axis of the London Basin.More minor variations are probably governed by periglacial erosion and faulting.A shallow anticline in the Chalk in north-central London has resulted in a pronounced thinning of succeeding strata.These results are compared to the position of London Underground railway tunnels.Although tunnels have been bored through the upper levels of London Clay where thick,some tunnels and stations are positioned within the underlying,more lithologically variable.Lower London Tertiary deposits.Although less complex than other geological models of the London Basin,this technique is more objective and uses a higher density of borehole data.The high resolution of the resulting maps emphasises the power of modelling an expansive dataset in a rigorous but simple fashion.     

A case history of a deep basement in London Clay

The case history of the deep excavation for the National Gallery extension in London is presented in this paper. Comparisons with data from other sites show that it is typical for that of similar projects in Central London. Class 1 predictions of the retaining wall behaviour (prior to construction) using the Model London Clay constitutive relationship considerably over-estimated wall and ground movements. Retaining wall and ground movements are also considerably over-predicted by analyses using a simple linear elastic/perfectly plastic soil model, despite optimistic parameters being assumed for the soils. Predictions made using the constitutive model BRICK are closer to the measured deflected shape, but are also higher than measured values. Parametric studies of the effect of various parameters suggest that a “best estimate” of the wall movements are still well in excess of those measured. It is concluded that these differences are due to three-dimensional effects and deficiencies in the model. The “beam-spring” computer software for retaining walls FREW gives similar results to the analyses using the simple model. Analyses of the same problem carried out by a different operator using another finite element code, but with the same constitutive model, yielded somewhat different results and highlight the need for careful interpretation of finite element analyses.     

A Strain-Rate Dependent Clay Constitutive Model with Parametric Sensitivity and Uncertainty Quantification

This paper presents a strain-rate dependent plastic constitutive model for clays. Based on the concepts of critical-state soil mechanics and bounding surface plasticity theory, the model reproduces the mechanical response of clays under triaxial and simple shear loading conditions. The model parameters are determined for Boston Blue Clay, London Clay and Kaolin Clay, and the performance of the model in simulating the mechanical response of these clays is demonstrated for low to medium strain rates. The sensitivity of each model parameter is checked by perturbing the calibrated values by ±20 %. Subsequently, a probabilistic analysis using Monte Carlo simulations is performed by treating the model parameters as random variables and the impact of the statistics of the parameters on the undrained shear strength is investigated.     

Foraminiferids from the London Clay at Lower Swanwick and their palaeoecological interpretation

Sixteen foraminiferid assemblages have been studied from the London Clay succession at Lower Swanwick brickyard. These are divided into three faunules which are interpreted as indicating a shallow shelf regime with strong deltaic influences.     

Environmental geological and geotechnical investigations related to the potential use of Ankara clay as a compacted landfill liner material, Turkey

Clay-bearing Upper Pliocene red clastics and Quaternary alluvial deposits occupy the Ankara basin. The clayey levels of the Upper Pliocene deposits, referred to as Ankara clay, is considered as a source for compacted clay liners due to their low coefficients of permeability and widespread distributions throughout Ankara. This study investigates the geological, geotechnical and mineralogical properties of the founding clayey soils at two sites of the Ankara region. The geotechnical index properties along with the hydraulic conductivities of the clayey soil samples collected from these sites were determined. A mathematical relation between the clay mineralogical content and hydraulic conductivity was established. The results of this investigation show that, from a geotechnical point of view, Ankara clay may be regarded as a highly suitable material for a compacted clay landfill liner given that its mineralogical compatibility with leachate is confirmed.     

Diffusion of municipal waste contaminants in compacted lateritic soil treated with bagasse ash

Compacted clay can minimize infiltration of liquid into waste or control the release of contaminated liquids to the surrounding soils and groundwater. Compacted lateritic soil treated with up to 12 % bagasse ash and municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate sourced from a domestic waste land fill were used in diffusion test studies to access the diffusion characteristics of some inorganic species present in the municipal solid waste leachate. Diffusion set-up were prepared containing 0, 4, 8 and 12 % bagasse ash—soil mixes compacted at 2 % wet of optimum using the modified proctor effort. The set up was saturated with water for 30 days before the introduction of MSW leachate and initiation of diffusion test for another 90 days. After diffusion testing, water content within the soil column showed a decrease with depth. Diffusion test results generally showed that diffusion is an active means of transport of chemical species even at very low flow rates in the compacted soil-bagasse ash mixes, and the effective diffusion coefficient is affected by bagasse ash. The pore fluid concentration profile for the various chemical species tested showed that the compacted soil-bagasse ash mix has the capacity to attenuate Ca²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions.     

Monitoring an Experimental Soil Waste Near London, Ontario, Canada

An experimental soil cover was constructed near London, Ontario and monitored for more than a year for percolation and water content data. The cover was a multi-layer system consisting of compacted till barrier soil placed between gravel layers, and a final topsoil cap in one half and a coarse stone cap in the other half. The lower gravel layer was intended to provide a capillary break that would minimize gravity driven drainage in the till, while the capillary barrier created at the upper gravel-till interface would reduce evaporative losses in the till during dry periods. The results showed that while the compacted till maintained a relatively high degree of saturation and low hydraulic conductivity under the coarse stone, it desiccated under the topsoil and resulted in high water percolation rates. The textural or grain size contrast between the relatively fine topsoil and the underlying gravel layer created a capillary break which, together with the relatively low hydraulic conductivity of the topsoil, prevented infiltrating waters from recharging the underlying till. Thus the till was not able to rebound to its pre-desiccation water content. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the till under the topsoil was about 1 × 10^-8 m/s after one year, compared to 2.0 × 10^-10 m/s at construction.     

The recognition of a planktonic foraminiferid datum in the London Clay of the Hampshire Basin

A datum, marked by the first appearance of plaktonic species, is described from the London Clay of Whitecliff Bay and Alum Bay, Isle of Wight. Its value in the correlation of Lower Eocene sections in the Hampshire Basin is discussed.     

模拟渗滤液作用下压实黏土的力学性质

垃圾填埋场中渗滤液的作用可能对压实黏土衬垫及地基土的力学性质产生一定的影响,但目前研究成果存在矛盾之处。以CaCl2溶液和苯酚溶液作为渗滤液中无机和有机污染物的代表,对添加10%钠基膨润土的压实黏土进行力学性质的试验研究。结果表明,（1）两种模拟渗滤液的作用使土的压缩性增强,抗剪强度降低。（2）苯酚对压实黏土力学性质的影响更为显著,不排水强度约为自来水和0.05molL-1CaCl2溶液的55%。（3）土样初始孔隙比相同时,溶液作用下扩散双电层变薄造成孔隙变大,可能是产生这种现象的主要原因。（4）模拟渗滤液的作用对压实黏土衬垫及地基土具有不利的影响。     

Heat-induced moisture movement within a clay-based sealing material

The bentonite-sand buffer material, which isolates the nuclear-fuel waste containers from the host rock mass, is a vital component of the multiple engineered barrier scheme advocated by the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program. This paper presents results of laboratory investigations which examine the influence of the container surface temperatures on the moisture migration within a compacted buffer in a borehole environment.     

Multi-dimensional chemo-osmotic consolidation of clays

A model of chemo-osmotic consolidation of clays in multi-dimensional domains is presented, with volumetric strains induced by both changes in the chemistry and osmotically driven pore water flow considered. Three fully coupled governing equations considering force equilibrium, pore water transport and chemical transport are presented and solved using the transient finite element method. The proposed approach is verified via consideration of chemo-osmotic consolidation of a compacted clay landfill liner and then applied to investigation of a hypothetical case with a local leachate leak in the compacted clay liner. An assessment of the impact of the two-dimensional nature of the system is made. The consolidation process is found to be dominated by osmotic consolidation in the early stages and subsequently by chemical consolidation. It is found that the surface settlement and the leachate concentration in the compacted clay liner may be highly overestimated by a one-dimensional analysis. Moreover, the peak negative excess pore pressure predicted by the two-dimensional solution remains in a shallow region under the leak while in the one-dimensional solution it moves progressively downwards.     

A two-surface plasticity model for clay

This paper presents a two-surface plasticity constitutive model for clays based on critical-state soil mechanics. The model reproduces the mechanical response of clays under multi-axial loading conditions and predicts both drained and undrained behavior at small and large strains. The constitutive model also captures both the strain-rate-dependent behavior of clays and the drop in strength towards a residual value at very large shear strains using novel approaches. The paper also describes a hierarchical process for the determination of the model parameters relying more on simple curve fitting of model equations to experimental data points corresponding to specific soil states instead of trial-and-error simulations of entire experiments. Model parameter values are determined for London Clay, San Francisco Bay Mud, Boston Blue Clay and Lower Cromer Till, and the performance of the model in simulating mechanical response of clays is demonstrated for a variety of initial states and loading conditions.     

Compacted sewage sludge as a barrier for tailing impoundment

The feasibility of compacted sewage sludge serving as a barrier for tailing impoundment was evaluated by the batch test and hydraulic conductivity test with respect to heavy metal retardation and impermeability. The batch test results showed that the effective removal of heavy metals approached 97.8 and 93.4% for Zn and Cd, respectively. Formation of precipitation of oxy(hydroxide) and carbonate minerals was mainly responsible for the attenuation of heavy metals in the early period of the test. Nevertheless, the further removal of heavy metals can be attributed to the sulfate reduction. The hydraulic conductivity test indicated that almost all of the heavy metals contained in simulated acid pore water were retarded by compacted sewage sludge. The hydraulic conductivity of the compacted sewage sludge ranged from 3.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁸ cm s⁻¹, lower than 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ cm s⁻¹, which is required by regulations for the hydraulic barrier in landfill sites. Thus, this study suggested that compacted sewage sludge could be used as a bottom barrier for tailing impoundment.