An experimental investigation of landfill leachate impact on surrounding soil

Milad, Ziad Abdelsalam 2014. An experimental investigation of landfill leachate impact on surrounding soil. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Landfill leachate is generated as a consequence of water percolation through the solid wastes, oxidation of the wastes, and corrosion of the wastes. Underdesigned landfill sites allow the leachate to easily pass through the soil strata. This may have an impact on the engineering properties of soils, such as the shear strength and the volume change (compressibility and swelling), and the chemical properties (adsorption and retention of heavy metals). In this thesis, a detailed experimental investigation was undertaken to investigate the effects of landfill leachate contamination on the geotechnical and geo-environmental properties of natural soils of Kuwait. Two soils (a silty sand and a clayey sand) were used in the study. The soils were obtained from the Al-Jahra landfill site based in Kuwait. The leachate was collected from the Al-Qurain landfill site in Kuwait. The results from the direct shear and consolidation tests on compacted soil specimens that interacted with leachate and water indicated that, the influence of contamination was severe on the engineering properties of the clayey sand than that of the silty sand. The geoenvironmental properties of the soils were studied to assess the transport and fate of heavy metals in the soils. Leaching column tests were carried out to establish the breakthrough curves which showed retention of heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu and Ni) by both soils. The results from batch isotherm adsorption tests were used to study the ability of the soils to adsorb heavy metals. The test results showed that, heavy metal adsorption was superior in the clayey sand than that occurred in the silty sand. The leaching column test results was used to validate the HYDRUS 1D software package. The results from the model and the laboratory tests results were found to be in good agreements. The bearing capacity and settlement behavior of the soils were modelled. The settlement behavior of the soils was found to be more pronounced due to the presence of landfill leachate. The conclusions drawn from the experimental and numerical investigations favour a further understanding of some of the key issues associated with the transport and fate of leachate in the surrounding environment of a landfill site.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Underdesigned Landfill issues; Kuwait Landfills; Soil - Leachate Interaction; Strength and Compressibility; Adsorption and Retention; Al-Jahra Site Modelling.
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	09 Jan 2024 14:18
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/68312

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