Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Study on the permeability evolution law and the micro-mechanism of CCL in a landfill final cover under the dry-wet cycle

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the failure mechanism of compacted clay liner (CCL) impervious structures caused by the dry-wet cycles in a landfill final cover. Experimental research is performed on the evolution of permeability characteristics and microstructure of CCL with different initial compactness under repeated dry-wet cycles. The research results show that the effect of dry-wet cycle varies significantly on clays with different compactness. The permeability of the low-compacted clay (90 %) gradually decreases as the times of dry-wet cycles increases, while those of the high-compacted clay (98 %) gradually increases. A non-linear variation relationship between the permeability and dry-wet cycle times with compactness of CCL has been established. The tests and the prediction outcomes of the models both show that, after several dry-wet cycles, the permeability of all compacted clays are greater than 1 × 10−9 m/s, which can not meet the anti-seepage requirement of the landfill cover systems. The change in pore connectivity caused by the damage of soil structure under the wet-dry cycles is the main factor for the change of the permeability characteristics of CCL. We’ve determined the quantitative indexes (critical pore size) that can present the connectivity characteristic of the pore structure of clay, for which the evolution law under the dry-wet cycles is the same as that of the permeability of the CCL.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albrecht BA, Benson CH (2001) Effect of desiccation on compacted natural clays. ASCE J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 1271:67–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benson CH, Daniel DE, Boutwell GP (1999) Field performance of compacted clay liners. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng ASCE 125(5):390–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boynton SS, Daniel DE (1985) Hydraulic conductivity tests on compacted clays. J Geotech Eng, ASCE 111(4):465–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brian AA, Benson CH (2001) Effect of desiccation on compacted natural clays. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 127:67–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Çelik B, Rowe K, Ünlü K (2009) Effect of vadose zone on the steady-state leakage rates from landfill barrier systems. Waste Manag 29:103–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drumm E, Boles D, Wilson G (1997) Desiccation cracks result in preferential flow. Geotech News Vancouver 15(1):22–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Bengochea I, Lovell CW, Altschaeffl AG (1979) Pore distribution and permeability of silty clay. ASCE J Geotech Eng Div 105:839–856

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths FJ, Joshi RC (1989) Change in pore size distribution due to consolidation of clays. Geotechnique 39(1):159–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guilherme LML, Márcio DSSA, Horst MF (2004) Computational modelling of final covers for uranium mill tailings impoundments. J Hazard Mater 110:139–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hossein N, Farimah M (2008) Hydromechanical behaviour of an expansive bentonite/silt mixture in cyclic suction-controlled drying and wetting tests. Eng Geol 101:154–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hossein N, Farimah M (2010) Influence of suction cycles on the soil fabric of compacted swelling soil. Comptes Rendus Geosci 342:901–910

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jing H, Piet S (2003) Application of image analysis to assessing critical pore size for permeability prediction of cement paste. Image Anal Stereol 22:97–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katz AJ, Thompson AH (1986) Quantitative prediction of permeability in porous rock. Physical Rev B 34(1):8179–8181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein R, Baumann T, Kahapka E et al (2011) Temperature development in a modern municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash landfill with regard to sustainable waste management. J Hazard Mater B 83:265–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lapierre C, Leroueil S, Locat J (1990) Mercury intrusion and permeability of Louiseville clay. Can Geotech J 27:761–773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leonards GA (1962) Engineering properties of soil, ch. 2, Foundation Engineering. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York

  • Li JH (2009) Field experimental study and numercal simulation of seepage in saturated/unsaturated cracked soil. PhD thesis, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China

  • Li JH, Zhang LM (2011) Connectivity of a network of random discontinuities. Comput Geotech 38:217–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linnéa A, Anthony CJ, Mark AK et al (2011) Permeability, pore connectivity and critical pore throat control of expandable polymeric sphere templated macroporous alumina. Acta Mater 59:1239–1248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Xing F, Dong BQ (2007) Researchship between pore structure and permeability. China Concrete 12:35–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu XL, Wang SJ, Wang EZ (2011) A study on the uplift mechanism of Tongjiezi dam using a coupled hydro-mechanical model. Eng Geol 117(1–2):134–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luiz FP, Osny OSB, Klaus R (2005) Gamma ray computed tomography to evaluate wetting/drying soil structure changes. Nucl Instrum Method Phys Res B 229:443–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neethirajan S, Jayas DS (2008) Analysis of pore network in three-dimensional (3D) grain bulks using X-ray CT images. Transp Porous Media 73(3):319–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omidi GH, Thomas JC, Brown KW (1996) Effect of desiccation cracking on the hydraulic conductivity of a compacted clay liner. Water Air Soil Pollut 89:91–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pires LF, Cooper M, Cássaro FAM (2008) Micromorphological analysis to characterize structure modifications of soil samples submitted to wetting and drying cycles. Catena 72:297–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rayhani MHT, Yanful EK, Fakher A (2007) Desiccation induced cracking and its effect on hydraulic conductivity of clayey soils from Iran. Can Geotech J 44:276–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rayhani MHT, Yanful EK, Fakher A (2008) Physical modeling of desiccation cracking in plastic soils. Eng Geol 97:25–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler SW, Wheatcraft SW (1992) Fractal scaling of soil particle-size distributions: analysis and limitations. Soil Sci Soc Am 56(1):362–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu C, Li D, Huang L (2011) Relationship between permeability and microstructure of cement bentonite slurry concretion. J Tong-Ji Univ 39(6):820–824

    Google Scholar 

  • Xue R, Hu RL, Mao LT (2006) Fractal study on the microstructure variation of soft soils in consolidation process. China Civ Eng J 39(10):87–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye WM, Wan M, Chen B et al (2011a) Micro-structural behaviors of densely compacted GMZ01 bentonite under drying/wetting cycles. Chin J Geotech Eng 33(8):1173–1177

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye WM, Qi ZY, Chen B et al (2011b) Mechanism of cultivation soil degradation in rocky desertification areas under dry/wet cycles. Environ Earth Sci 64:269–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang FZ, Chen XP (2011) Influence of repeated drying and wetting cycles on mechanical behaviors of unsaturated soil. Chin J Geotech Eng 32(1):41–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang HJ, Jenga DS, Seymourb BR et al (2012) Solute transport in partially-saturated deformable porous media: application to a landfill clay liner. Adv Water Resour 40:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2012CB719802); “Interdiscipline and Cooperation” science and technology Innovation team, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The National Water Pollution Control and Management Science and Technology Major Projects of China (2012ZX07104-002); the Special Fund for Basic Research on Scientific Instruments of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51279199,5079143) and Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2011CDA105).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Yong Wan, Qiang Xue & Lei Liu

Authors
  1. Yong Wan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qiang Xue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lei Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qiang Xue.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wan, Y., Xue, Q. & Liu, L. Study on the permeability evolution law and the micro-mechanism of CCL in a landfill final cover under the dry-wet cycle. Bull Eng Geol Environ 73, 1089–1103 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-014-0604-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-014-0604-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation