Hazardous waste pollution prevention using clay with admixtures

Landfill is the most commonly used method for disposal of waste materials since it is one of the least expensive methods. In order to dispose of any hazardous material to a landfill, a liner is used, which protects the underlying land and groundwater since it acts as a barrier to fluid movement. Of the various methods available for providing improved and more effective properties of landfills, methods involving the use of bentonite, cement, lime, gypsum, etc., have been explored in the laboratory. The aim is to overcome the problem and deficiencies of the existing liners. It is observed from the experimental results that the metal concentrations of the input waste solution can be reduced to 80-98% using a soil-cement admixture, 60-95% using a soil-gypsum mixture, 45-95% using a soil-bentonite mixture, 50-90% for soil, 35-80% using a soil-lime mixture, as liner materials. The permeation rate of different metals through the different soil-admixture media depends on various factors. A simple mathematical treatment of the phenomenon related to the permeation of liquid through the admixture of the clay and other components has been developed. The experimental results show satisfactory agreement with the predictions.