Preliminary results of composite liner field performance study

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary results of a study of the field performance of composite liners. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the ability of composite liners to contain municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate. The paper presents data for double-lined MSW landfills having composite top liners consisting of a geomembrane (GMB) upper component and a compacted clay liner (CCL) lower component. Data on flow volumes and flow constituents for the leachate collection and removal system (LCRS) and the leakage detection system (LDS) components of the double liner system are analyzed to assess whether leakage has occurred through the composite top liner. Data for nine MSW landfill cells with monitoring periods of up to eight years are presented. Preliminary results indicate that the nine composite liners are performing well and are effective in containing MSW leachate.