INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIVIL(IJCIET), ENGINEERING AND International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),

, ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March April (2013), IAEME TECHNOLOGY (IJCIET)
ISSN 0976 6308 (Print) ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), pp. 346-352 IAEME: www.iaeme.com/ijciet.asp Journal Impact Factor (2013): 5.3277 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com

IJCIET
IAEME

UTILIZATION OF BENTONITE-SILT MIXTURES AS SEEPAGE BARRIERS IN LINER SYSTEMS OF ENGINEERED LANDFILLS

Nitish Puri1 and Deepak Soni2
1

(Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, GCET, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India) 2 (Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, GIMT, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India)

ABSTRACT The permeability and compaction characteristics of several bentonite-silt mixtures were determined and effects of bentonite content on the above stated characteristics were investigated. Standard proctor test were conducted on both silts and silts stabilized with 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15% of bentonite clay by weight. For both type of silts values of MDD increases and OMC decreases with increase in percentage of bentonite as an additive. To ensure consistent performance of these clay liners, they were compacted to maximum dry density (MDD) by adding optimum moisture content (OMC). Falling head permeability test were conducted on compacted plastic and non-plastic silt samples stabilized with 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15% % of bentonite clay by weight. The permeability values for all silt-bentonite mixtures were measured. A Significant decrease in values of permeability was observed for both types of silt-bentonite mixtures with increase in percentage of bentonite clay as an additive. Keywords: Permeability, compaction, clay liners, bentonite, maximum dry density and optimum moisture content 1. INTRODUCTION Modern landfills are engineered containment systems, designed to minimize the impact of solid waste (refuse, trash, and garbage) on the environment and human health. In modern landfills, the waste is contained by a liner system. The primary purpose of the liner system is to isolate the landfill contents from the environment and, therefore, to protect the soil and ground water from pollution originating in the landfill. The greatest threat to ground water posed by modern landfills is Leachate. Leachate consists of water and water-soluble compounds in the refuse that accumulate as water moves through the landfill. This water may be from rainfall or from the waste itself. Leachate may migrate from the landfill and contaminate soil and ground water, thus presenting a risk to human and environmental health.
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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print), ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), IAEME

Landfill liners are designed and constructed to create a barrier between the waste and th the environment and to drain the Leachate to collection and treatment facilities. This is done to prevent the uncontrolled release of Leachate into the environment. Compacted clays having low permeability are often used as seepage barriers in liner systems of of engineered landfills. When such types of clays are unavailable then in-situ situ soils must be treated with medium to high plastic imported clays or commercially available clays such as bentonite to achieve mixtures of desired values of permeability. Coeffici Coefficient ent of permeability for seepage barriers can be 10-8 cm/sec or less and having a thickness of 100 cm or more [6]. In the present study, two silty soils of plastic and non-plastic nature have been stabilized with small percentages of bentonite clay to reduce e their permeability. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 General product of human activity that cannot be put to any use. The term solid Waste is a by-product waste refers to waste that is solid. It can be dry moist or wet and it remains at the location where it is deposited. When solid waste is dumped on open ground, it causes the following environmental problems: a) Ground water contamination through seepage of Leachate into the ground. b) Surface water r contamination through erosion of fine particles of waste as well as Leachate run-off off from sides of dump. c) Local air contamination due to fugitive dust, gaseous emissions, wind-blown blown litter and bad odour. d) Other problems like increase in rodents and pests, risk of fire from burning garbage/dry leaves/plastics. Bird menace to overhead air crafts, , slope failures and blockage of surface water drainage paths due to alteration of natural topography of the area. These harmful effects of waste dump can be minimized by containing the solid waste, that is, by isolating it from the environment. This can be done by providing an impervious liner at the base of the waste and an impermeable cover at the top of the waste [7] [7]. This solid waste disposal facility as shown in Fig. 2.1 below is called as landfill.

Fig.2.1 Schematic drawing of an engineered landfill. Source: Bonaparte et al. (2002)

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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print), ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), IAEME

2.2 Requirements The most critical component of a liner or a cover is the impervious barrier. Such a barrier is expected to meet the following requirements: a) It should be impervious and should behave monolithically over several hundred square metres of land areas. b) It should be flexible and remain intact under settlement of subsoil or of waste. c) It should be durable for the design life of landfill. d) It should be strong enough to withstand stresses imposed by filled wastes and by vehicles moving on it. Clay meets most of the requirements of a barrier layer. Table 2.1 shows required characteristics of clay liners. Characteristics Thickness Permeability Density Moisture content Shear strength Clay liner 0.6 1.5 m 10-8 m/sec or less MDD determined as per tests OMC determined as per tests UCS determined as per tests

Table 2.1 Requirements for a good clay liner Note: First two parameters are considered important for clay liners. 3. MATERIALS 3.1 Bentonite clay It was collected from Laxmi Lining Material Pvt. Ltd, Opposite Royal Palace, Sodal Road, Preet Nagar, Jalandhar 144004. It is classified as clay of high compressibility, CH, as per classifications of IS: 1498 (1970) [3]. Its physical and engineering properties are reported in Table 3.1. 3.2 Silt Two types of silts were collected, one from village Ramdaspur and other from village Ajnala of District Amritsar. Both silts were classified as silt of low compressibility, ML, as per classifications of IS: 1498 (1970) [3]. There physical and engineering properties are reported in Table 3.1.

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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print), ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), IAEME

Characteristics Specific gravity (G) LL Atterbergs PL limits PI MDD (g/cc) Compaction characteristics OMC (%) Colour Classification Group Grain size distribution

Silt I 2.71 22 NP NP 1.62 14.9 Brown Silt of low compressibility ML

Materials Silt II 2.7 25 19 6 1.82 13.2 Light Brown Silt of low compressibility ML

Bentonite 265 46 219 Yellow Clay of high compressibility CH 88% 12% 0% -

Clay 0% 15% Silt 87% 66% Sand 13% 19% Unconfined compressive 1.02 0.92 strength (UCS) in kg/cm2 Table 3.1 Characterization of materials

4. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION A series of falling head permeability test were conducted on bentonite-silt mixtures to evaluate their performance as a clay liner in landfills. These tests were performed as per the specifications of IS: 2720 (Part 17) (1966) [5]. Standard proctor tests were conducted on silts and silts stabilized with 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15% of bentonite by weight. These tests were conducted in order to prepare specimens at maximum dry density by adding desired optimum moisture content as per specifications of IS: 2720 (Part 7) (1974) [4]. 4.1 Moisture-density relationships Standard Proctor tests have been conducted to determine optimum moisture content (OMC) and maximum dry density (MDD) of silts stabilized with various varying percentages of bentonite clay. Fig 4.1(a) and Fig 4.2 (b) show comparison of MDD and OMC for silts stabilized with bentonite clay and these values are reported in Table.4.1. For silt I, MDD and OMC were observed as 1.62 g/cc and 14.9% respectively. For silt II, MDD and OMC were observed as 1.82 g/cc and 13.2 % respectively. For silt I stabilized with bentonite MDD varies from 1.62 to 1.73 g/cc and OMC varies from 14.9 % to 13.42 %. It has been observed that for silt I MDD increases and OMC decreases with increase in percentage of bentonite as an additive. For silt II MDD varies from 1.82 g/cc to 1.91 g/cc and OMC varies from 13.2% to 12.43%. Also for silt II, it has been observed that MDD increases and OMC decreases with increase in percentage of bentonite as an additive.

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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print), ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), IAEME

Table 4.1 Values of MDD and OMC for bentonite-silt mixtures

Maximum dry density (MDD) in g/cc 1.95 1.9 1.85 1.8 1.75 1.7 1.65 1.6 0 5 10 15 Percentage of bentonite as stabilizer (%) 20 Silt I Silt II

Fig. 4.1 (a) Variation of MDD vs. Percentage of bentonite as an additive

15.5 Optimum moisture content (%) 15 14.5 14 13.5 13 12.5 12 0 5 10 15 20 Percentage of bentonite as stabilizer (%) Silt I Silt II

Fig. 4.1 (b) Variation of OMC vs. Percentage of bentonite as an additive 4.2 Permeability characteristics For silt I and silt II permeability has been observed as 5.5 x 10-6 cm/s and 2.96 x 10-7 respectively. For bentonite-silt I mixtures permeability varies from 5.5 x 10-6 cm/s to 1.07 x 10-8 cm/s. Hence total reduction in permeability was 99.81 %. It has been observed that permeability decreases significantly with increase in percentage of bentonite as stabilizer. For bentonite-silt II mixtures permeability varies from 2.96 x 10-7 cm/s to 0.91 x 10-8 cm/s. Which means total reduction in permeability was 99.69 %.

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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print), ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), IAEME

Table 4.1 Values of permeability (k) in cm/sec for bentonite-silt mixtures Percentage of bentonite as an additive Sample 0% 3 6 9 12 15% Silt I 2.97 x 105.5 x 10-6 2.3 x 10-6 7.8 x 10-7 6.1 x 10-7 1.07 x 10-8 + 8 Bentonite Silt II 1.02 x 102.96 x 10-7 9.8 x 10-8 8.7 x 10-8 4.7 x 10-8 9.1 x 10-9 + 7 Bentonite Fig.4.2 Variation of permeability (K) with percentage of bentonite as additive
6.00E-06 5.00E-06 Permeability (k) in cm/s 4.00E-06 3.00E-06 Silt I 2.00E-06 1.00E-06 0.00E+00 0 5 10 15 20 Percentage of bentonite as an additive (%) Silt II

Fig. 4.2 Variation of permeability with percentage of bentonite as an additive

5. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates the influence of bentonite clay on the permeability and compaction characteristics of locally available silts. The following conclusions have been drawn based on the laboratory investigations carried out in this study: 1. For both type of silts values of MDD increases and OMC decreases with increase in percentage of bentonite as an additive. Which means better compaction can be expected from these silt-bentonite mixtures. Similar results reported by other investigators.[1] 2. A Significant decrease in values of permeability was observed for both types of siltbentonite mixtures with increase in percentage of bentonite clay as an additive. 3. Silt-bentonite mixtures containing silt II performed well as compared to mixtures containing silt I. Hence it is recommended that plastic silts in combination with bentonite should be used as clay liners if available.
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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print), ISSN 0976 6316(Online) Volume 4, Issue 2, March - April (2013), IAEME

4. Percentage of bentonite should be maintained between 10 to 15 % because beyond that extent further improvement in permeability is not possible and also not economical. Similar results were reported by other investigators.[2] 5. It is also recommended to use locally available clays similar to bentonite if present. REFERENCES Cho, Won-Jin, Lee, Jae-Owan and Kang, Chul-Hyung (2002),Hydraulic Conductivity of Compacted Soil-Bentonite Mixture for A Liner Material in Landfill Facilities, Environmental Engineering Research, Vol.3, 122-127, Korean Society of Environmental Engineers. [2] Mollins, L.H, Stewart, D.I and Cousens, T.W (1996), Predicting the Properties of Bentonite-Sand Mixtures, Clay Minerals, Vol. 31, 243-252. [3] IS: 1498 (1970),Indian Standard Methods of Test for Soils: Classification and Identification of Soil for General Engineering Purposes, Bureau of Indian Standards. [4] IS: 2720 (Part 7) (1974), Indian Standard Methods of Test for Soils: Determination of Moisture Content-Dry Density Relation using Light Compaction, Bureau of Indian Standards. [5] IS: 2720 (Part 17) (1966), Indian Standard Methods of Test for Soils: Laboratory Determination of Permeability, Bureau of Indian Standards. [6] Singh, Alam and Chowdhary, G.R. (1994), Soil Engineering in Theory and Practice, Geotechnical Testing and Instrumentation, Vol. 2, CBS Publishers and Distributors, Delhi. [7] Ghulati, Shashi K and Datta, Manoj (2012), Geotechnical Engineering, 15th Reprint, Tata McGraw Hills Education Private Limited, New Delhi. [8] V.S.Tamilarasan, Dr.P.Perumal and Dr.J.Maheswaran, Experimental Study on Water Permeability and Chloride Permeability of Concrete with GGBS as a Replacement Material for Cement, International Journal of Civil Engineering & Technology (IJCIET), Volume 3, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 25 - 40, ISSN Print: 0976 6308, ISSN Online: 0976 6316. [9] M. Vijaya Sekhar Reddy, Dr. I.V. Ramana Reddy and N.Krishna Murthy, Durability of Standard Concrete Incorporating Supplementary Cementing Materials using Rapid Chloride Permeability Test, International Journal of Civil Engineering & Technology (IJCIET), Volume 3, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 373 - 379, ISSN Print: 0976 6308, ISSN Online: 0976 6316. [10] Mukesh A. Patel and Dr. H. S. Patel, Correlation Between Physical Properties and California Bearing Ratio Test on Soils of Gujarat Region in Both Soak and Unsoak Condition, International Journal of Civil Engineering & Technology (IJCIET), Volume 3, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 50 - 59, ISSN Print: 0976 6308, ISSN Online: 0976 6316. [1]

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