The Influence of Salt Solution on Morphological Changes in a Geosynthetic Clay Liner

Mochamad Arief Budihardjo

doi:10.1155/2016/6349407

Mochamad Arief Budihardjo

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6349407

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Abstract

Morphological variations of geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) samples, hydrated with two different permeates, distilled water and NaCl solution (100 mM concentration), were observed in detail using microscopic analysis. After the GCL samples were hydrated with the NaCl solution, they were observed with an optical microscope. While the surface of the treated GCL samples was similar to the surface of the untreated GCL, a crystal deposit was found on the surface of the treated samples. Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a more solid appearance was observed for the bentonite particles contained in the GCL after the sample was hydrated with distilled water in comparison to the GCL sample that was hydrated with the NaCl solution. It appears that salt solution hydration results in less swelling of the bentonite particles. Furthermore, the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) results showed that distilled water hydration had no effect on the distribution of the elements contained in the GCL samples. However, bound chlorine was observed, which demonstrated that the bentonite particles had absorbed the NaCl solution. In addition, changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the hydrated GCL samples were also observed.

Highlights

Landfilling still remains the most preferred solid waste disposal method globally [1,2,3,4]
After two weeks of hydration, the moisture content in the geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) samples was removed by placing them in the oven
This demonstrates that hydration with distilled water, followed by drying, had no effect on the form of the GCL sample as it remained unchanged under microscopic observation

Summary

Introduction

Landfilling still remains the most preferred solid waste disposal method globally [1,2,3,4]. Solid waste will start to decompose and generate leachate [5]. Severe environmental and health hazards are possible if the leachate escapes from a landfill and contaminates the surroundings, such as the groundwater [12,13,14,15]. Landfills must be able to function as a hydraulic barrier to prevent leaks or as a proper collection for the leachate [16,17,18,19,20,21]. The most critical function of landfill design and construction is to contain leachate [1, 22], in order to reduce the environmental and public health impacts of a landfill

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