16

Landfill Linersand Geosynthetics

Enormous amounts of solid wasteare generatedevery year in the United Statesand

other industrializedcountries.Thesewastematerialscan,in general,be classifiedinto
four major categories:(1) municipal waste,(2) industrial waste,(3) hazardouswaste,
and (a) low-level radioactivewaste.Table 16.1lists the waste material generatedin
1984in the United Statesin these four categories(Koerner, 1994).
The waste materials are generally placed in landfills.The landfill materials in-
teract with moisture received from rainfall and snow to form a liquid called leachate.
The chemical composition of leachatesvaries widely dependingon the waste mate-
rial involved. Leachatesare a main sourceof groundwater pollution; therefore, they
must be properly contained in all landfills,surfaceimpoundments,and waste piles,
within some typc of liner system.In the following sectionsof this chapter, various
types of liner systemsand the materials used in them are discussed.

16.1 Lan dfi II Lin ers- Overview

Until about 1982,the predominant liner material used in landfills was clay. Proper
7
clay liners have a hydraulic conductivity of about 10 cm/sec or less.In 1984,the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's minimum technologicalrequirements for
hazardouswaste landfill design and constructionwere introduced by the U.S. Con-
gress in Hazardous and Solid Waste amendments. ln these amendments, Congress
stipulated that all new landfills should have double liners and systemsfor leachate
collection and removal.
To understand the construction and functioning of the double-liner system,we
must review the general properties of the component materials involved in the sys-
tem - that is, clay soil and geosynthetics(such as geotextiles,geomembranes,and
geonets).
In Sections 6.9 and 6.10, discussionon compaction of a clay soil for a liner sys-
tem was discussedin more detail. A brief review of the essential properties of geo-
synthetics is given in the following sections.

544
 16.3 Geotextiles 545
Table 16.1 Waste Material Generation in the United States

Approximatequantity in 1984
Waste type (millionsof metric tonsl
Municipal 300
Industrial (building debris, degradable waste.
nondegradable waste, and near hazardous) 6(X)
Hazardous 150
Low-level radioactive l-5

16.2 Geosynthetics
In general,geosyntheticsare fabriclike material made from polymers such as polyes-
ter, polyethylene,polypropylene,polyvinyl chloricle(PVC), nylon, chlorinated poly-
ethylene,and others. The term geosynthetics includesthe following:
1. Geotextiles
2. Geomembranes
3. Geogrids
4. Geonets
5. Ceocomptlsiles
Each type of geosyntheticperforms one or morc of the following five major
functions:

1. Separation
2. Reinforcement
3. Filtration
4. Drainagc
5. Moisture barricr

Geosyntheticshave been used in civil enginecring construction since the late

I970s, and their use is currently growing rapidly. In this chapter, it is not possibleto
provide detailed descriptionsof manufacturing procedures,properties, and usesof
all types of geosynthetics.However, an overview of geotextiles.geomembranes,and
geonetsis given.For further information, refer to a geosyntheticstext, such as that
by Koerner (1994).

16.3 Geotextiles
Geotextiles are textiles in the traditional sense;however, the fabrics are usually
made from petroleum products such as polyester,polyethylene,and polypropylene.
They may also be made from fiberglass.Geotextiles are not prepared from natural
fabrics, which decay too quickly. They may be woven, knitted, or nonwoven.
Woven geotextilesare made of two sets of parallel filaments or strands of yarn
systematicallyinterlaced to form a planar stru cture. Knitted geotextilesare formed by
Chapter 16 Landfill Liners and Geosvnthetics

interlocking a seriesof loops of one or more filaments or strandsof yarn to form a

planar structure. l,'lonwovengeotextiLesare formed from filaments or short fibers ar-
ranged in an oriented or a random pattern in a planar structure.These filaments,or
short fibers,arc llrst arranged into a loose web. They are then bonded by using one
or a combination of thc following processes:

l. Chenical bctntling- by glue, rubber, latex, cellulosederivative,and so forth

2. Thermul bonding- by heat for partial mclting of filaments
3. Mechaniculbonding - by needle punching
The needle-punchetlnonwoven geotextiles are thick and have high in-plane hy-
draulic conductivity.
Geotextilcs havc four major uses:

l. Druinuge: The fabrics can rapidly channel water lrom soil to various outlets.
2. Filtrutbn: When placcd bctwccn two soil layers,one coarscgrained and the
other fine graincd, thc fabric allows free secpagcof water from one layer to the
other. At thc samc tirne. it protects thc finc-grainedsoil from being washcd
i n t o t h e c o a r s c - g r a i n e sdo i l .
3. Scparotitm:Ccotcxtiles help keep various soil layersseparateafter construc-
t i o n . F o r e x a m p l c ,i n t h c c o n s t r u c t i o no l ' h i g h w a y s a, c l a y e ys u b g r a d ec a n b e
kcpt separatel'rom a granular bitsecourse.
4. Rein.fttrc'entent:'lhe tensilc strcngth of geotextilesincreasesthc load-bearing
c a p a c i t yo f t h e s o i l .

Gcotcxtiles currently availablccommercially have thickncsscsthat vary from about

0.2-5to 7.6 mm (0.01 to 0.3 in.). The mass per unit arca of these geotextilesranges
l r o m l r b o u t 1 . 5 0t o 7 ( X )g / c m r .
Onc ofthe major I'uncticlnsof geotextilesis filtration. For this purpose,water
must be ablc to flow lreely through thc fabric of the geotextile (Figure 16.I ). Hence,
the cros.s-plunchydruulic conductiviry is an important parameter for dcsign pur-
poscs. It should be realized that gcotcxtile fabrics are compressiblc,however,and

Direction of f'low

I l t
Geotextile

jl|:i.,.l',:;.iii:li
itii:,i.,1ili.:,

I 1 t +
Figure 1 6 . 1Cross-plane fl ow through geotextile
 16.3 Geotextiles 547

;ts
jf'
,to-
Geotextilc ,f'
€- .i [)ireeti,rrr
trt lluw

':'i::
4*-

+- l,:lf,rlirl .

Figure 16.2 ln-planellow in geotcxtilc

t h e i r t h i c k n e s sm a y c h a n g ed c p e n d i n go n t h c e f l ' e c t i v en o r m a l s t r e s st o
which they
are being subjccted.The cherngein thickncssunclcr norrnal stressalso changes
lhe
cross-plane h y d r a u l i cc o n d u c t i v i t yo f a g e o t c x t i l e T
. h u s . t h c c r c l s s - p l a ncca p a i r i l i t yi s
generaffy expresseclin tcrms of a quantily callcdparntittivity,<.tr

p:L, (r6.t)
r
wherc P : permittivity
k,, : hydrnulic conductivity fbr cross-plane['low
I : t h i c k n c s so f t h c g c o t e x t i l c

I n a s i m i l a rm a n n c r ,t o p e r f t t r m t h c f ' u n c t i o no l c l r a i n a g es a t i s f ' a c t o r i l gy c, o t c x -
tiles must possessexcellcnt in-plane permeabilily. Fc,rrcaso-ns statcd previiruity,tt.,"
i n - p l a n eh y d r a u l i cc o n d u c t i v i t ya l s od e p e n d so n t h c c o m p r e s s i b i l i t ya,n d ,
h e n c e ,t h e
t h i c k n e s so f t h e g e o t e x t i l e .T h e i n - p l a n ed r a i n a g cc a p a b i l i t yc a n t l u s b c
expressed
in terms of a quantity callecltransnli.rsiulry, or

(t6.2)
wherc Z : trernsmissivity
k , , : h y d r a u l i cc o n d u c t i v i t yl o r i n - p l a n cf l o w ( F i g u r c 1 6 . 2 )

The units of k,, and k,, are cm/scc or ftimin; howevcr, the unit of perniittivity p
is sec l or min l. In a similar manner, the unit of transmissivityZ is mr/sec.
m or
ft3/min ' ft. Depending on the type of gcotcxtilc. k,,and f and k,,a,rd 7'.an vary wiclery.
Following are some typical values for k,,, p, k,,, and T:
o Hydrattlic conductivity k,,: I x l0 3 to 2.-5x 10 r cm/sec
. Permittivity p: 2 x 10 2 to 2.0 sec I
. Hydraulic conductivity k
t,:
Nonwoven:1 x t0 3to5 x l0 2cm/sec
Woven: 2 x L0-3to4 x 10 3cm/sec
c Transmissivity T:
Nonwoven:2x 10-61o2x10 em3/sec.m
W o v e n : 1 . 5x 1 0 n t o 2 x 1 0 E m 3 / s e c . m
548 Chapter 16 Landfill Liners and Geosynthetics

When a geotextile is being consideredfor use in the designand constructionof

landllll liners, certain properties must be measuredby testson the geotextile to de-
termine its applicability.A partial list of these testsfollows:

1. Mass per unit area

2. Percentageof open area
3. Equivalent opening size
4. Thickncss
5. Ultraviolet resistivity
6. Permittivity
7. Transmissivity
8. Puncturc rcsistance
9. Resistanceto abrasittn
10. Compressibility
ll. T c n s i l es t r e n g t ha n d e l o n g a t i c l np r o p e r t i e s
12. Chemical rcsistance

16.4 Geomembranes
C l c o m e n t b r a n cas r e i m p c r m c a b l el i q u i d o r v a p o r b a r r i e r sm a d e p r i m a r i l y f r o m c o n -
l i n u o u s p o l y m c r i c s l r e e t st h a l a r c f l e x i b l e .T h c t y p e o 1 p o l y m e r i cm a t e r i a l u s e df o r
gconrembrerncs may be therrnoplttslit'or therrnosct.Thc thcrmoplastic polymers in-
c l u d e P V C I ,p o l y c t h y l c r r cc, h l o r i n a t e dp o l y c t h y l c n e ,a n d p o l y a m i d c .T h c t h c r m o s c t
p o l y n t c r si n c l u d ee t h y l c n cv i n y l a c c t a t c ,p o l y c h l o r o p r c n ca, n d i s o p r c n c - i s o b u t y l e n c .
Although geomembrancsart: thought to bc impermcable,they are not. Water varpor
t r a n s m i s s i o nt c s t ss h o w t h a t t h e h y d r a u l i cc o n d u c t i v i t yo f g c o m e m b r a n c si s i n t h c
r : rc m / s c c ;h c n c e .t h c y a r c o r . r l y" e s s c n t i a l l yi r n p e r m c a b l e . "
r a n g eo f l 0 r 0t o l 0
Many scrirn-reinforccd gcomembrancsmarnufactured in singlepiles havethick-
n e s s e st h a t r a n g el r o m 0 . 2 - 5t o a h o u t 0 . 4 m m ( 0 . 0 1t o 0 . 0 1 6i n . ) . T h e s c s i n g l cp i l e so f
g e o m e m b r a n c sc a n b c l a m i n a t e dt o g c t h c r t o m a k e t h i c k c r g e o m c m b r a n e sS . ome
geomembrancsmade f}om PVC and polycthylene may bc as thick as 4.5 ttl -5mm
( 0 . 1 ut o 0 . 2 i n . ) .
Following is a partial list of teststhat should be conducted on gcomembranes
when they are to be used as landfill liners:

l. Density
2. Mass per unit area
3. Water vapor transmissioncapacity
4. Tensile behavior
5. Tear resistancc
6. Resistanceto impact
7. Puncture resistance
8. Stresscracking
9. Chemical resistance
1 0 . U l l r a v i o l e tl i g h t r e s i s t a n c c
11. Thermal properties
12. Behavior of seams
 16.4 Geomembranes

Adhesive
--
, l , - ; : : . , . ,t '", , ' . l '

'aGun't
tape

Factory
vulcanized

\, ,, 17G"";"T"'1

(r)
Figure 16.3 configurations .r'ficrdgc.mcmbrancscams:(a) Iapseam;(b)
gum tape; (c) tongue_and_groovc rapsear.with
splice; (ci)cxtrusionweldlap searn;(c) fillct weld
( l ' ) d . u b l c h o t a i r . r w c d g es e a m( a f r c rL r . s E lap scam;
p r . t c c t i o nA g e n c yI,9 t 3 9 )
. nvironmcnta

Thc most important aspectof construction

with geomembrancsis the prcpa-
ration of scams. otherwise, the basic reason
for usin!'g"on'"''b.ones as a liquid
or vapor barrier wiil be del'eatccl.Geomembrane
rh"Jts"ar" generattyseamed to_
gether in the factory to prepare larger sheets.
These targer shEetsare lie ld scamed
Thereares-everal
types
of ,"u.i some
of whicharebriefly
il::,H X:il:"rtrt.".
Lap Seam with Adhesive
' A solventadhesive is usedfor this typeof seam(Figure16.3a).After
tion of the solvent,the two sheetsof geomembrun"*ur" applica_
overlapped,then roller
pressure is applied.
Lap Seam with Gum Tape
' Thtt type of seam(Figure16.3b)
is usedmostlyin densethermosetmaterial
suchasisoprene-isobutylene.
Ton g ue-an d-Gro ove Sp tice
' A schematicdiagramof the
tongue-and-groove
spliceis shownin Figure16.3c.
The tapesusedfor the spliceare doubleiiaed.
550 Chapter 16 Landfill Liners and Geosynthetics

Extrusion Weld Lap Seam

. Extrusion or fusion welding is done on geomembranes made from polyethyl-
ene. A ribbon of molten polymer is extruded between the two surfacesto be
joined (Figure 16.3d).

Fillet Weld Lap Seam

. This seam is similar to an extrusion weld lap seam;however,for lillet welding,
the extrudate is placed over the edge of the seam (Figure 16.3e).

Double Hot Air or Wedge Seam

. In the hot air scam,hot air is blown to melt the two opposing surfaces.For
melting, thc tcmperaturesshould rise to about 500"F or more. After the op-
posite surfacesare melted, pressureis applied to form the seam (Figure 16.3f).
For hot wedge seams,an electricallyheated elcment like a blade is passedbe-
tween the two opposing surlacesof the geomembrane.The heated element
hclps to melt the geomembrane,after which pressureis applied by a roller to
form the seam.

16.5 Geonets
G e o n e t sa r e f o r m c d b y t h e c o n t i n u o u se x t r u s i o no f p o l y m c r i cr i b s a t a c u t ca n g l e st o
'I'hcy
each other. have large opcnings in a nctlike configuration.The primary func-
tion of geoncts is drainergc.F-igure16.4is a photograph of a typicztlpiece of geonet.
M o s t g e o n c t sc u r r e n t l ya v a i l a b l ea r e m a d eo f m e d i u m - d e n s i t ya n d h i g h - d e n s i t yp o l y -
. h e y a r e a v a i l a b l ei n r o l l s w i t h w i d t h so f 1 . 8t o 2 . 1m ( : 6 t o 7 f t ) a n d l e n g t h s
e t h y l e n eT
'l'he
of 30 to 90 m (: 1(X)to 300 ft). approximate apcrturc sizesvary from 30 mm x
3 0 m m ( : l . 2 i n . x 1 . 2i n . ) t o a b o u t 6 m m X 6 m m ( : 9 . 2 5 i n . x 2 . 5 i n . ) .T h e t h i c k -
n c s so f g e o n e t sa v a i l a b l ec o m m e r c i a l l yc a n v a r y f r o m 3 . 8t o 7 . 6m m ( : 0 . 1 5 t o 0 . 3i n . ) .
Seaming of geonets is somewhat more difficult. For this purpose, staples,
threaded loops, and wire are sometimcsused.

Figure 16'.4Geonet
 l6'6 single clay Liner and singte Geomembrane Liner systems
551

16,6 S_ingleCIay Liner and Single

Geo m em b ran e Lin er SysfLms
Until about r9B2 - that is, before the guidelines for the minimum
technological re-
quirements for hazardous waste landfill design and construction
were mandated by
the U'S. Environmental Protection Agency - most landfill liners
were single clay lin-
ers' Figure 16.5showsthe crosssection of a single clay liner system
for a landfill. It
consists primarily of a compacted clay liner over the native foundation
soil. The
thicknessof the compactedclay riner varies between 0.9 and 1.g (3
m and 6 ft). The
maximum required hydraulic conductivity k is 10 -7cm/sec.
Over the clay liner is a
layer of gravel with perforated pipes for leachatecollection
and removal. Over the
gravel layer is a layer of filter soil. The filter is used to protect
the holes in the perfo-
rated pipes against the movement of line soil particles. In most
cases,the filter is
medium coarse to fine sandy soil. It is important to note that
this system does not
have any leak-detectioncapability.
Around 1982,singlelayersof geomembraneswere also used
as a liner material
for landfill sites.As shown in Figure 16.6,the geomembraneis laid
over native foun-
dation soil. over the geomembrane is a layer of gravel with perlorated
pipes for
leachate collection and removal. A layer o1 filt., .soilis placed
between the solid
wastematerial and the gravel.As in the singleclay liner sysiem,
no provision is made
for leak detection.

s"i
,.....t
'-1 F i l t e ri o i l
i;.-. ,,!.'i:--,*
-tJfJVCl

r.ii.:s-! . ,; .:.s . s.. .i

CIay Iiner
-",r

Perforated pipe

Nativc fbundationsoil

Figure 16.5 Crosssectionof singleclay liner systemfor a landfill

Filter soii

Gravel

Geomembrane

Perforated pipe
Native foundationsoil

Figure 16'6 cross sectionof singlegeomembrane

liner systemfor a landfill
 Chapter 16 Landfill Liners and Geosynthetics

16.7 Recent Advances in the Liner Sysfems for Landfills

Since 1984,most landfills developedfor solid and hazardouswasteshave double lin-
ers. The two liners are an upper primary liner and a lower secondaryliner. Above
the top liner is a primary leachatecollection and removal system.In general,the pri-
mary leachatecollection systemmust be able to maintain a leachatehead of 0.3 m
(:72in.) or less.Between the primary and secondaryliners is a systemfor leak de-
tection, collection,and removal (LDCR) of leachates.The generalguidelinesfor the
primary leachatecollection systemand the LDCR systemare as follows:

1. It can be a granular drainagelayer or a geosyntheticdrainagematerial such as

a geonet.
2. If a granular drainagelaycr is used,it should have a minimum thicknessof 0.3 m
(-12 in.)
3. The granular drainagc layer (or the geosynthetic)should have a hydraulic con-
2
d u c t i v i t yk g r e a t e rt h a n 1 0 c m / s e c .
4. If a granular drainagelayer is used,it should have a granular filter or a layer of
geotextile over it to prevent clogging.A layer of geotextile is also requircd over
the geonet when it is used as the drainagelayer.
5. The granular drainagelayer, when used,must be chemicallyresistantto the
waste material and the leachatcthat are produced. It should also have a nct-
work ol pcrforated pipes to collcct the leachateeffcctivelyand efficiently.

In thc designof the liner systems.the compactcd clay layersshould be at least

7
I r n ( : j f t ) t h i c k , w i t h k = l 0 c m / s c c .F i g u r e s1 6 . 7a n d 1 6 . 8s h o w s c h e m a t i c d i a -
grams of two double-liner systems.In Figure 16 7, the primary leachatecollection
systemis made oI a granular material with perforated pipes and a filter systcmabove
it. The primary liner is a geomembrane.The LDCR systemis made of a geonet.The
secondaryliner is a c:ompositeliner made of a geomcmbranewith a compactedclay
layer below it. In Figure 16.8,the primary leachatecollection systemis similar to that
shown in Figure 16.7;howevcr,the primary and secondaryliners are both compos-
ite liners (geomembrane-clay).The LDCR system is a geonet with a layer of geo-
textile over it. The layer of geotextile acts as a filter and separator.

--
"fl
"{#
f-;:
Geomembrane
(primary liner)

{M Geonet
(leak detectionand
Gravel leachatecollection)

Geomembrane
Perfbrated pipe (secondarycompositeliner)
Native foundationsoil

Figure 16.7 Crosssectionof double-linersystem(note the secondarycompositeliner)

 16.8 LeachateRemovalsysferns

F i l t e rs o i l ':-./
Primary Geotextile
composite Geonet
Iine1.Geomembrane
\ Clay lrner
Socuildat y
Gravel composite
G e o m e m b r a n e, l i n e r
Clay liner
Nlttivt' lirrrntllti,rrr s,ru

Figure 76'8 crosssectionof clouble-liner

system(no1cthc primaryand secondary
compositeliners)

The geomembranesused for landfill lining rnust have

a minimum thicknessof
0.76 mm (0.03 in.); however, ail gcomembranesthat
have a thickness of 0.76 mm
( 0 . 0 3i n . ) m a y n o t b e s u i t a b l ei n a l l s i t u a t i o n s I. n p r a c t i c e ,
m o s t g e o m e m b r a n e su s e d
a s l i n e r sh a v et h i c k n e s s e rsa n g i n gf r o m r . r Jt o 2 . - 5 4m m ( 0 . 7
to o]l in.l.

16.8 Leachate Removal Systems

The bottom of a landfill must be properly gradcd so
that the leachatecollectedfrom
the primary collection systemand the LDaR system
will flow t. a low pornt by grav_
ity. Usually a grade of <trmore is provided fbr rarge landfilt sites..r-herow point
.2o/o
of the leachatecollection systemends at a sump. For primary
leachatecolrection,a
manhole is located at the sump, which rises through
tte warte materiar.Figure 16.9
showsa schematicdiagram of the leachatcremoval
systemwith a row-vorumesurnp.
* * * * ' ' * * - o i ' 1 1 , , j . ' l r : . i r & , s -
q - r t u 6 * r b
l ' ** '. -, ' : * , ' * - , . - " ; . , , , 1 i
I s o : , . i " ' * , - - - , - * ' * ; -

*"."*';,*-o ** * + **t .* *-,

-**n r-r.2m +: " -; * -"
$w *u -o" &o l.it, (36-4lJin.) ,
*o. " ;* :
; * d n *
r'"ii.l R e i n f i r r c e d c o n c r e t e " :
",

'. ,1.''' u - * '" I i . ' i t l ricel : l i - :* - " i " ' j u - * " : t i*l - .
t '
" t , - ,

J .; -'ij;*'.li'
c.nq1'1'n'*
d .
"J - - ,

-' .:: ; ".

:l "- ifi, i ..Cravcl
,'"1
*s . r#wffi
: Primarytcachrre
"t""*;*t'#ffi t'
*
*- 6 d

I
Geomembrafe

Figure 76.9 Primary leachateremovarsystemwith a low-volume

sump(after u.S. Environ_
mentalProtectionAgency,19g9).
I

r l
554 Chapter 16 Landfill Liners and Geosynthetics

--AaStandPiPe
Air sPace
*P
i1- nce ptp"

Figure 16.10 Primary leachate removal system with a high-volume sump (after U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, 1989)

Primary geomembrane

P l a s t i cp i p e

Secondarygeomembrane
S u b n r e r s i b lpeu r r p

Natrvefbundation
soil

Figure 76. 17 Secondary leak detection, collection, and removal (LDCR) system - by
means of pumping. Note.'Thc plastic pipe penetrates the primary geomembrane

A typical leachate removal system for high-volume sumps (for primary collection) is
shown in Figure 16.10.
Leachate can be removed from the LDCR system by means of pumping, as
shown in Figure 16.11,or by gravity monitoring, as shown in Figure 16.12.When
leachate is removed by pumping, the plastic pipe used for removal must penetrate
the primary liner. On the other land, if gravity monitoring is used, the pipe will pen-
e t r a t e t h e s e c o n d a r yl i n e r .
 16.9 Closure of Landfills

Clay liner

Figure 16.72 SccondaryLDCR system.by mcans of eravity monitoring. Nr.rtr,..The

plastic
pipe penetratesthe secondlry geomembranc

C a p ( p r o v e n t si n t i l t r a t i o n )
\

'
I - i n e r( p r e v e n t sr n i g r a t i o no l l e a c h a t e s )

Figure 16.13 Lan<lfill with liner and cao

16.9 Closure of Landfills

when the landfill is complete and no more wastecan be placed into it, a cap must be
p u t o n i t ( F i g u r e 1 6 . 1 3 )T
. h i s c a p w i l l r e d u c e a n d u l t i m a t e l ye l i m i n a t el e a c h a t eg e n -
eration. A schematicdiagram of the layering systemrecommended by the U.S.-En-
vironmental Protection Agency ( 1979,1986)and Koerner (1994)for hazardouswaste
landfills is shown in Figure 16.14.Essentially,it consistsof a compactedclay cap over
the solid waste, a geomembraneliner, a drainage layer, and u .ou". of topsoil. The
manhole used for leachatecollection penetratesthe landfill cover.Leachateremoval
continuesuntil its generationis stopped.For hazardouswastelandfill sites.the EpA
(19if9)recommendsthis period to be about 30 vears.
 Chapter 16 Landfill Liners and Geosvnthetics

I
600mm(24in.) Covertopsoil

v
I

,' t,',.
600mm (24in.) Compactedclay cap k < l0-7 crn/sec

I '...
Wlste ,,. -

Figure 16.14 Schematicdiagran.rol'the layerirrg,

system lirr landlill ca1.r

16.10 Summary and General Comments

T h i s c h a p t e r p r o v i d c d a b r i c l ' o v c r v i e w o f t h e p r o b l c m s a s s c l c i a t ew dith solid and
hazardouswastelandfills.Thc gcncral conceptslirr thc constructionof landllll liners
u s i n gc o m p a c t e ccl l a y e ys o i l a n d g c o s y n t h e t i c (st h a t i s . g e o t c x t i l c s g
, eomembranes,
and geonets) were discusscd.Scvcral arcils were not addressed,however,because
they are beyond the scopeof thc tcxt. Areas not discussedincludc the following:

l. Selac'tiono.fnruteriul.The chemicalscontained in lcachatesgenerzrtedfrcm

h a z a r d o u sa n d n o n h z r z a r d c l u wsa s t em a y i n t e r a c tw i t h t h e l i n e r m a t e r i a l s .F o r
t h i s r e a s o n ,i t i s c s s c n t i a tl h a t r e p r e s c n t a t i v e
l e a c h a t c sa r c u s e dt o t e s t t h e
c h e m i c a lc o m p a t i b i l i t ys o t h a t t h e l i n e r m a t e r i a lr e m a i n si n t a c t d u r i n g t h e p e -
riods of landfill opcraticlnand ckrsure.and possibly longcr. Selectionof the
proper leacheates bccomesdil'ficultbecauseof the extrcmc variations encoun-
t e r e d i n t h e f i e l d .T h c m c c h a n i c a p l r o p e r t i e so f g e o m e m b r a n e sa r e a l s o i m p o r -
tant. Propcrtics such as wclrkabilit.y.creep,stresscracking,and the thermal
coefficientof expernsionshould be investigatcdthoroughly.
2. Stuhilitl,o.f'sideslope liner. The stability and slippagechecksof the side slope
lincrs of a landfill site zrreimportant and complicatedbecauseof the variation
of the frictional charactersof the compositematerials involved in liner con-
struction. For a detailed treatment of this topic, refer to any book on geosyn-
t h e t i c s( e . g . .K o e r n e r . 1 9 9 4 ) .
3, Lettk responseuction plan. It is extremely important that any leaks or clogging
of the drainagelayer(s) in a given waste disposalsite be detected as quickly as
possible.Leaks or cloggingsare likelihoods at a site even with good construc-
tion quality control. Each waste disposal facility should have a leak response
oction plun.
 References 557

References
KornNER. R. M. (1994). Designing with Geosyrtthetics,3rd ecl.. Prentice-Hall. Enslewood
Cliffs. N.J.
U.S. ENvTnoNMENI AI Pnon.clloN Ac;nNcrv(1979).Designond Constrtrction SolirlWaste
for
Landfills, PublicationNo. EPA-600l2-7()-165,Cincinnati. Ohio.
U.S. ENvtp<lNM[NlnL Pn<trr:c-tlc>NAc;r-:N<'v(1986). Cover
for LJncontntlletlHazurrloru
WasteSite.;,Publication No. EpA--54012-85-002. Cincinnati. Ohio.
U.S. ENvrt<oNMF.N'rAI. Pnolt:<'r'trtN Ac;lNc'v (19U9).Requirenrcntslor Huzartlotts Waste
I'undJill Design, Con.structiort,antl CIosure, Publication No. EPA-62-5l4-B()-022.Cincin-
n a t i .O h i o .