A prefabricated bentonite clay liner

This paper presents manufacturing information and engineering data on a prefabricated bentonite clay liner named Claymax^®. Details of the standard product that is currently available are given, along with possible new variations that are available on a site specific basis.     

Experimental investigation of the effect of airgaps in preventing desiccation of bentonite in geosynthetic clay liners exposed to high temperatures

This paper investigates whether the introduction of an airgap above a composite liner made of a geomembrane (GMB) and a Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) can decrease thermal loads on the GCL, reduce the risk of bentonite desiccation and/or help maintain its low hydraulic conductivity. A composite liner, subject to 20?kPa overburden load, over a well graded sand was subjected to a thermal gradient. In addition, to the reference base case in which no airgap was present, two designs included air gaps through the placement of a 10?mm and 20?mm-thick geocomposites (GC) on top of the GCL-GMB, respectively.Temperatures on top of the GCLs were found to be significantly reduced by the presence of air gaps, relative to the reference base case. All three designs resulted in GCL desiccation cracks at the end of the tests, due to the relatively high temperature gradients and low water retention of the subsoil, even in the presence of air gaps. However, X-Ray imaging revealed that crack patterns in bentonite samples from designs with air gaps were finer and narrower. Subsequent rehydration (and permeation tests) with distilled water indicated that significant self-healing of bentonite was in evidence in all three cases. However, while in the absence of an air gap the saturated hydraulic conductivity was found to be 2.8 times its pre-heating value, no significant increase was recorded for other two cases. X-Ray imaging of rehydrated samples confirmed that more effective healing had occurred in samples with an air gap.     

Radium migration through clay liners at waste disposal sites

The migration of 226Ra through the bottom compacted clay liner of the wastewater disposal reservoirs of an industrial plant that processes uranium ore was evaluated. An instrumental method for 226Ra analysis in soils, consisting of detector calibration, the determination of detector counting efficiency, cumulative counting of both background and soil samples in regular counting intervals, and photo-peak smoothing was developed. The 226Ra was analyzed by means of its granddaughter 214Bi, at a photo-peak of 609 keV. The results showed that most of the 226Ra which diffused from the solution into the soil was retained in the upper layer of the sample, and that just a small percentage migrated to the subjacent layers. This methodology is adequate for the assessment of the migration of radionuclides through soil layers and for environmental impact studies related to contamination of soils by radionuclides.     

Hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners to tailings impoundment solutions

The results of a comprehensive testing program conducted to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity (k) of two geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) considered as a liner component for a tailings impoundment at a proposed zinc and copper mine are reported. The two GCLs were permeated with a relatively low ionic-strength ground water (GW) from the mine site and two electrolyte solutions, a process water (PW) and a simulated leachate (SL), with chemical compositions consistent with those expected during operation of the impoundment. A total of 22 flexible-wall tests were performed to determine the effects of prehydration with the GW, type of GCL, type of permeant liquid, and duration of the back-pressure stage of the test. The k values for both GCLs permeated with the GW were 1.7 × 10⁻⁹ cm/s, which is within the range 1–3 × 10⁻⁹ cm/s typically reported for GCLs permeated with low ionic-strength liquids, such as deionized water. However, the mean values of k based on permeation of duplicate specimens of both types of GCL with either PW or SL relative to the values of k based on permeation with GW, or k/k_w, ranged from a factor of 200 (2.3 orders of magnitude) to a factor of 7600 (3.9 orders of magnitude). Thus, both tailings impoundment solutions had significant adverse impacts on the hydraulic performance of both GCLs. Given the overall range of k/k_w values, factors such as prehydration, type of GCL, type of permeant liquid, and duration of back pressure, were relatively insignificant. The results of this study serve to emphasize the need to perform hydraulic conductivity testing using site specific materials.     

Experimental investigation on methane advection and diffusion in geosynthetic clay liners

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are widely used in landfill and heap-leach facility cover system for mitigating rainfall infiltration and gas migration into atmosphere. Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate methane diffusion and advection through GCLs. Gas permeability coefficient of GCL for the case with moisture content = 47.5% is one and two orders of magnitude greater than the cases with moisture content = 68.5% and 80.9%, respectively, when 20 kPa vertical stress was applied. The batch adsorption tests indicated that adsorption of methane onto bentonite is negligible. The concentration variation for the adsorption of methane onto bentonite can be neglected. However, methane concentration decreased by 14.2% for the test of methane adsorption onto GCL during the first 2–3 days. This is because methane was adsorbed by the geotextiles rather than by the bentonite in GCL. The large porosity and surface area of geotextiles provide lots of micropores for methane adsorption. Analytical model was then developed to analyze the performance of GCL-based liners system with respect to methane transport. The results indicate that methane emission fluxes for the case with SL + GCL are 7.8 and 5.1 times less than the cases with SL + CCL when the moisture contents were 25.9% and 35.1%, respectively. The methane emission fluxes for both of the SL + GCL and SL + CCL can be neglected when they are fully saturated. GCL is recommended to be used in arid and semi-arid regions rather than CCL. GCL is recommended to be used in arid and semi-arid areas rather than CCL. Advection plays a more important role in methane migration through SL + GCL and SL + CCL than that of diffusion. With moisture contents = 25.9% and 32%, methane emission flux attributed to advection accounts for more than 90% of the total emission flux for both cases of SL + GCL and SL + CCL. With the increase of moisture content of SL, the effectiveness of SL in reducing methane emission increases. The saved space for using GCL + SL composite cover compared with using a single SL cover is 0.7 m when the moisture content equals 25.9%, which is 0.5 m greater than the case when moisture content equals 32%. GMB plays a dominant role in inhibiting methane migration and reducing methane emission flux. When moisture content equals 25.9%, the methane emission fluxes for SL + GMB + GCL and SL + GMB + CCL are 343 times and 2643 times less than the cases with SL + GCL and SL + CCL, respectively.     

Geotechnical analysis of two Nigerian soils for use as clay liners

The cretaceous Auchi shale and the Tertiary Imo shale in SW Nigeria were investigated for their suitability for use as a clay seal in waste disposal landfills. Geotechnical analyses indicated they are highly plastic inorganic clays. Although their geotechnical and chemical properties were within the range suggested by various authors for use as mineral seals, care would need to be taken with the Okada shales as they contain smectite and would be difficult to work and liable to cracking.      

Effect of ammonium on the hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners

Hydraulic conductivity and swell index tests were conducted on a conventional geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) containing sodium-bentonite (Na-B) using 5, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 mM ammonium acetate (NH₄OAc) solutions to investigate how NH₄⁺ accumulation in leachates in bioreactor and recirculation landfills may affect GCLs. Control tests were conducted with deionized (DI) water. Swell index of the Na-B was 27.7 mL/2 g in 5 mM NH₄⁺ solution and decreased to 5.0 mL/2 g in 1000 mM NH₄⁺ solution, whereas the swell index of Na-B in DI water was 28.0 mL/2 g. Hydraulic conductivity of the Na-B GCL to 5, 50, and 100 mM NH₄⁺ was low, ranging from 1.6–5.9 × 10^?11 m/s, which is comparable to the hydraulic conductivity to DI water (2.1 × 10^?11 m/s). Hydraulic conductivities of the Na-B GCL permeated with 500 and 1000 mM NH₄⁺ solutions were much higher (e.g., 1.6–5.2 × 10^?6 m/s) due to suppression of osmotic swelling. NH₄⁺ replaced native Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ in the exchange complex of the Na-B during permeation with all NH₄⁺ solutions, with the NH₄⁺ fraction in the exchange complex increasing from 0.24 to 0.83 as the NH₄⁺ concentration increased from 5 to 1000 mM. A Na-B GCL specimen permeated with 1000 mM NH₄⁺ solution to chemical equilibrium was subsequently permeated with DI water. Permeation with the NH₄⁺ converted the Na-B to “NH₄-bentonite” with more than 80% of the exchange complex occupied by NH₄⁺. Hydraulic conductivity of this GCL specimen decreased from 5.9 × 10^?6 m/s to 2.9 × 10^?11 m/s during permeation with DI water, indicating that “NH₄-bentonite” can swell and have low hydraulic conductivity, and that the impact of more concentrated NH₄⁺ solutions on swelling and hydraulic conductivity is reversible.     

Effect of stress on water retention of needlepunched geosynthetic clay liners

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are placed at the bottom of waste disposal facilities where they hydrate from the subsoil and eventually from a hydraulic head on geomembranes (GMs) defects. Predicting hydration behavior of GCLs requires knowledge of the water-retention properties of the GCL along wetting paths. Given that GCLs could be subjected to different ranges of vertical stresses that are induced by the weight of the supported waste, the confining stress could affect water-retention properties of GCLs and should be investigated. To do so, a laboratory methodology to establish the water-retention curves (WRCs) of needlepunched GCLs under stress was undertaken. Various constant vertical stresses corresponding to different weights of the supported waste were applied to GCL specimens placed in controlled-suction oedometers. Suction values were selected so as to mimic a wetting path from the initial dry state to zero suction. Suction was controlled by using controlled suction techniques with controlled humidity imposed by a saturated saline solutions and using the osmotic technique with polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions. Measurements were undertaken on oedometer systems as to apply confining stresses and have been complemented by standard saturated oedometer swelling tests. The data obtained confirm that increasing the stress on to the GCL results in less, albeit faster, water uptake, which could emphasize on recommendations about rapidly covering GCLs after they are placed at the bottom of a waste disposal facilities. Finally, the potential validity of the state-surface concept, which was developed in unsaturated soil mechanics, is discussed using van Guenuchten's and Fredlund and Xing's equations for water retention curves.     

Investigating the mechanism of downslope bentonite erosion in GCL liners using X-Ray CT

Exposed composite GMB-GCL liners are at risk of downslope bentonite erosion caused by the release of low ionic strength condensed water onto the top surface of the GCL following daily solar heating. This paper investigates the use of X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) to quantify the thinning of the bentonite layer and the application of X-ray diffraction techniques (XRD) to investigate the changes in clay chemistry (if any) of the bentonite from the virgin GCL to the eroded bentonite. The effect of specimen size and scanning orientation was investigated resulting in a revised testing procedure in which the CT scanning orientation was changed from horizontal to vertical to permit a longer test specimen which was also sealed at the bottom edge to minimise the edge boundary condition. The X-ray CT results provide highly visual evidence that a) bentonite thinning immediately under the upper cover geotextile is the initial location of erosion, and b) the bentonite core erodes at a significantly higher rate when not covered by a geotextile than when covered by a geotextile. These observations indicate that the upper geotextile of the GCL plays a significant role in controlling the rate of bentonite erosion. Finally, a comparison of the virgin and runoff bentonite properties was conducted to investigate potential changes in swell index, X-ray diffraction results, and concentration of Na and Ca cations. The runoff bentonite was observed to had a significantly higher swell index (40?ml/2?g) than the virgin bentonite (28?ml/2?g) and lower Na and Ca concentrations. This finding is consistent with the observation from XRD analyses of the runoff bentonite which illustrate that the clay fraction of the bentonite is preferentially eroded by the application of DI water.     

Prefabricated and electrical vertical drains for consolidation of soft clay

The use of prefabricated vertical drains to consolidate soft clay is a common ground improvement method. In large projects laboratory testing of PVDs for selection and quality assurance is considered important. This paper presents a review of PVD laboratory testing. The need to provide simulated site conditions in the test is emphasized. In addition instrumented PVDs show that installation stresses in deep soft clay deposits could cause filter rupture under tensile failure. It is also shown that the maximum required discharge capacity of a PVD is obtained by equating the flow rate of the PVD under the installation and consolidation states to the maximum rate of volume reduction of the influential clay cylinder of the PVD. Consolidation can be enhanced much faster in clay soils if vertical drains manufactured with conducting polymer are used. Some laboratory tests, field tests and field applications of such electric vertical drains (EVD) are presented. A minimum current density at appropriate applied voltage is required to benefit from the electric osmosis (EO) application. EVD in dewatering clay soils, extracting heavy metals in clay soils and few other geotechnical applications are also presented.     

Stress-controlled direct shear testing of geosynthetic clay liners I: Apparatus development

The use of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) in waste containment applications can induce long-term normal and shear stresses as well as expose GCLs to elevated temperatures and non-standard hydration solutions. Considering the importance of GCL internal shear strength to the design and integrity of waste containment barrier systems, innovative laboratory testing methods are needed to assess shear behavior of GCLs. There were two main objectives of this study: (i) develop a stress-controlled direct shear apparatus capable of testing GCLs exposed to elevated temperatures and hydrated in non-standard solutions; and (ii) assess internal shear behavior of GCLs under varying experimental conditions (e.g., stress, temperature, solution). These two objectives were partitioned into a two-paper set, whereby Part I (this paper) focuses on the shear box design and Part II focuses on an assessment of shear behavior. The direct shear apparatus includes a reaction frame to mitigate specimen rotation that develops from an internal moment within needle-punched reinforced GCLs. Rapid-loading shear tests were conducted to assess functionality of the apparatus and document baseline shear behavior for a heat-treated and a non-heat treated needle-punched GCL with comparable peel strength. These two GCLs failed at comparable applied shear stress; however, the heat-treated GCL yielded lower shear deformation and failure occurred via rupture of reinforcement fiber anchors, whereas the non-heat treated GCL yielded larger shear deformation and failure via pullout of reinforcement fibers.     

Hydraulic conductivity of two geosynthetic clay liners permeated with a hyperalkaline solution

GCLs containing powdered Na-bentonite treated with different dosages of a proprietary additive intended to reduce the impacts of chemical interactions were permeated with three solutions: a hyperalkaline solution (1 M NaOH and 1.3 mM CsCl) having similar pH to aluminum refining leachate, a 1.3 mM CsCl solution (no NaOH), and DI water. For a given permeant solution, the hydraulic conductivity of both GCLs was similar. Thus, the higher additive dosage had no measureable impact on hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity of both GCLs decreased by a factor of approximately 1.5–1.8 during permeation with CsCl in response to osmotic swelling induced by the low ionic strength of the CsCl solution entering the pore space. In contrast, permeation with the NaOH–CsCl solution caused the hydraulic conductivity of both GCLs to increase modestly (<50 times the hydraulic conductivity to DI water), and then level out (or decrease slightly) as a result of reduced osmotic swelling in the interlayer combined with dissolution of the mineral. For the tests conducted with CsCl solution, nearly all of the Cs was adsorbed by the bentonite. In contrast, Cs broke through readily when the NaOH–CsCl solution was used as the permeant solution. Permeation with the NaOH–CsCl solution also increased the sodicity of the bentonite by replacing bound K, Ca, and Mg on the mineral surface.     

Hydraulic conductivity of bentonite-polymer composite geosynthetic clay liners permeated with bauxite liquor

The high ionic strength of the porewater in red mud (bauxite liquor from digestion) can suppress swelling of montmorillonite, resulting in geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) that are too permeable to be effective as liners in red mud disposal facilities. Bentonite-polymer composite GCLs (BPC GCLs) have been developed as more resilient lining materials, and some BPC GCLs have been shown to have very low hydraulic conductivity to bauxite liquors that have extreme ionic strength and pH. In this study, a nationwide investigation was conducted in China to evaluate the characteristics of bauxite liquor in Chinese impoundments, and to evaluate the suitability of GCLs containing granular sodium bentonite or BPCs for containment. Hydraulic conductivity tests were conducted on six BPC GCLs with two characteristic Chinese bauxite liquors that are hyperalkaline (pH > 12) and had ionic strengths of 76.9 mM and 620.3 mM. The BPC GCLs had hydraulic conductivity ranging from 10^?8-10^?12 m/s, which is higher than the hydraulic conductivity of BPC GCLs to deionized water (10^?12-10^?13 m/s), but lower than the hydraulic conductivity of conventional GCLs with granular sodium bentonite GCLs to the same liquors (10^?7-10^?8 m/s). The hydraulic conductivity of the BPC GCLs depends on the chemical properties of the leachate, the polymer loading, and the type of polymer. Microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) suggests that the hydraulic conductivity of BPC GCLs is controlled by pore-blocking by polymer hydrogel, which is affected by the bauxite liquor.     

The potential role of geosynthetic clay liners in mine water treatment systems

Combined passive treatment technologies have been used to treat acidic rock drainage (ARD), the well-known acute and costly environmental problem facing the mining industry. It is shown that geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) were able to attenuate metals from lime treated ARD water, and maintain a neutral pH and low hydraulic conductivity (less than 4.0 × 10⁻11 m/s) after 16 pore volumes of permeation; this implies their usefulness as a potentially significant component in combined passive treatment systems. Presented are laboratory breakthrough data for Cu, Cd, Ni, Mn, and Zn from the permeation of GCLs with 16 pore volumes of ARD, treated ARD (TARD), and a landfill leachate. Metal retention occurred in all solutions, but was greatest for the TARD, producing removal efficiencies of greater than 80%.     

Hydration/dehydration behaviour of geosynthetic clay liners in the Antarctic environment

This paper examines the hydration/dehydration behaviour of geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) under polar conditions for four simulated conditions experienced at Australia's Casey Station in Antarctica: (a) hydration during summer, (b) dehydration during a winter-summer cycle, (c) hydration through a fine Antarctic soil, and (d) hydration through a coarse Antarctic soil. Hydration during the summer is found to occur if there is direct contact with the water table. In contrast, the low relative humidity of the environment tends to dehydrate the GCL along a path that depends on the field conditions the GCL is exposed to. Hydration from either fine or coarse Antarctica soil is function of the original gravimetric water content of the subgrade soil and its grain size distribution as well as the low relative humidity prevailing in Antarctica.     

Water retention of geosynthetics clay liners: Dependence on void ratio and temperature

The dependence of the geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) on temperature and overburden stress are characterised experimentally. It is shown that changes in void ratio and temperature alter the relationship between suction and moisture content and new forms of existing SWCC equations are developed. To cover a wide suction range, the SWCCs are measured using axis-translation and dew point methods. Based on the available experimental data, both proposed SWCCs are shown to perform well in predicting the effects of void ratio on SWCC along the drying path when compared to the experimental results. It is found that the air-entry value increases as the net vertical stress increases for the experiments under the same temperature. In addition, elevation of temperature reduces retention capacity of the GCL.     

Effect of water salinity on the water retention curve of geosynthetic clay liners

The effect of water salinity on the water retention curve of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs), under constant volume condition is examined. The results indicate that at a constant gravimetric moisture content the total suction increases as the salinity of the wetting liquid increases. Furthermore, the difference in total suction between the GCL hydrated by saline water and distilled water is greater than the difference in the osmotic potential of the wetting water. This behaviour is possibly caused by the matric suction being affected by the expected chemically induced pore size change of the bentonite component of the GCL.     

Stress-controlled direct shear testing of geosynthetic clay liners II: Assessment of shear behavior

This paper is the second of a two-paper set on stress-controlled direct shear testing of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). Design of the apparatus, preliminary experiments, and shear deformation mechanisms in heat-treated and non-heat treated needle-punched (NP) GCLs were discussed in Part I. The objective of Part II (this paper) was to evaluate the effects of physical factors (i.e., peel strength and initial normal stress, σ_ni), environmental factors (i.e., temperature and hydration solution), and creep on the internal shear behavior of NP GCLs. In addition, failure conditions of GCLs in the stress-controlled direct shear tests were compared to displacement-controlled direct shear tests to verify results. An increase in internal shear strength developed from increased GCL peel strength or increased normal stress. Elevated temperatures were observed to decrease internal shear strength for both non-heat treated and heat-treated NP GCLs. Specimens hydrated with a calcium-rich synthetic mining solution experienced increased internal shear strength due to cation exchange in the bentonite, whereas specimens hydrated with a highly alkaline synthetic mining solution experienced decreased internal shear strength. Creep tests revealed an increase in time-to-failure with decrease in applied shear stress. Finally, stress states at failure from stress-controlled and displacement-controlled shear tests corresponded to a unique failure envelope, which validates the efficacy of using stress-controlled direct shear tests to assess internal shear behavior and shear strength of NP GCLs.     

Hysteresis of the water retention curves of geosynthetic clay liners in the high suction range

This paper examines two needle-punched geosynthetic clay liners' water retention behaviour at high suction ranges using the vapour equilibrium technique where super-saturated salt solutions controlled the relative humidity. This study shows that the bentonite form and its mineralogy affect the absorption/desorption of GCLs and their corresponding water retention curves. In particular, a granular bentonite-based GCL was found to absorb more and release less water than a powdered bentonite-based GCL due to its higher montmorillonite content and larger pores. The water retention curves of both GCLs exhibited very little hysteretic behaviour at high suction. Repeated wetting-drying cycles shifted the WRCs of both GCLs slightly downward with minimal impact on their degree of hysteresis.