Hydraulic Conductivity Tests for Evaluating Compatibility of Lateritic Soil—Fly Ash Mixtures with Municipal Waste Leachate

Long term competent performance of liner systems is a critical issue in the design and construction of waste repositories due to adverse interactions associated with leachate generated by wastes. This study was conducted to verify the efficacy of fly ash stabilization in enhancing compatibility between lateritic soil and municipal waste leachate. Applications investigated include soil mixtures containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% fly ash compacted at approximately 2% wet of optimum moisture content with modified proctor energy. Baseline hydraulic conductivity was first established at every level of fly ash content by permeating soil mixtures with tap water before permeation with leachate in a compaction mould permeameter using the falling head test method. Results show that the trend in hydraulic conductivity of specimen containing 0% fly ash was characterized by a gradual but erratic decrease which may suggests partial entry of the leachate cations into the double layer. Conversely, specimens containing fly ash showed a general trend consisting of an initial drop in k (up to an order of magnitude) that was followed by slight decrease sustained until k stabilized and later terminated. Above 10% fly ash content, the relatively high values of k observed was not connected with the reactivity of the soil mixtures with leachate, rather it may be attributed to excessive fly ash content that altered their textural and hydraulic properties. The result of this study is potentially significant in the assessment of fly ash as a compatibility enhancing agent which can be admixed in barrier materials that are susceptible to adverse reactions with the liquid to be contained.     

Potential Application of Lateritic Soil Stabilized with Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) as Liner in Waste Containment Structures

This study evaluates the applicability of residually derived lateritic soil stabilized with cement kiln dust (CKD), a waste product from the cement manufacturing process as liner in waste repositories. Lateritic soil sample mixed with 0–16 % CKD (by dry weight of the soil) was compacted with the British Standard Light, West African Standard and British Standard Heavy compaction efforts at water contents ranging from the dry to wet of optimum moistures. Geotechnical parameters such as Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, hydraulic conductivity, unconfined compressive strength and volumetric shrinkage strain were determined. Results indicate that the plasticity index, the maximum dry unit weight and hydraulic conductivity together with the volumetric shrinkage decreased with increased amount of CKD while the optimum moisture content and unconfined compressive strength increased with higher CKD content for all the efforts. When measured properties were compared with standard specifications adopted by most environmental regulatory agencies for the construction of barrier systems in waste containment structures, the resulting values showed substantial compliance. Besides developing an economically sustainable liner material, the present study demonstrated effective utilization of an industrial by-product otherwise considered as waste by the producers, in addition to a systematic expansion in the use of the lateritic soil for geotechnical works.     

Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater quality in parts of the niger delta,Nigeria

Detailed hydrogeochemical analysis of several samples of groundwater collected from parts of the Niger Delta, Nigeria has been carried out in an effort to assess the quality of groundwater in the area. Results obtained showed the groundwater in the area to be enriched in Na⁺, Ca⁺⁺, Mg⁺⁺, Cl^–, HCO ₃ ^- , and SO ₄ ^-- . The concentration of these ions as well as such parameters as salinity, total hardness, and TDS are below the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water. The concentration of Ca⁺⁺ was found to be higher than Mg⁺⁺ except in some areas very close to the coast suggesting the encroachment of saltwater. This encroachment of saltwater is further indicated by the general increase in Cl^– and a decreased in HCO ₃ ^- content towards the coast and Na/Cl ratios. On the basis of the present hydrogeochemical studies, five groundwater types have been recognized to occur in the area of study. These are (1) Sodium-Calcium-Magnesium-Bicarbonate type (Na-Ca-Mg-5HCO₃), (2) Iron-Calcium-Bicarbonate type (Fe-Ca-4HCO₃), (3) Sodium-Calcium-Magnesium-Sulfate type ( ), (4) Iron-Chloride-Bicarbonate (Fe-Cl-HCO₃), and (5) Magnesium-Chloride type (Mg-2Cl). The assemblage of groundwater types in the area shows that both compound and single groundwater types occur. The geochemical characteristics of the groundwaters are thought to be closely related to the peculiar geologic and hydrologic conditions that prevail in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.     

Delineation of compaction criteria for acceptable hydraulic conductivity of lateritic soil-bentonite mixtures designed as landfill liners

In current geoenvironmental practice, design engineers usually require that soil liners in waste landfills be compacted within a specified range of water content and dry unit weight. This specification is based primarily on the need to achieve a minimum dry unit weight for factors controlling the performance of compacted soil liners most especially the hydraulic conductivity, k. In this study, lateritic soil treated with up to 10% bentonite, prepared at various compaction states (dry of optimum, optimum and wet of optimum moisture content) was compacted with four compactive efforts (i.e., the reduced British Standard Light, British Standard Light, West African Standard, and British Standard Heavy) to simulate the range of compaction energies expected in the field. Prepared soil mixtures were permeated with water and specimens that yielded the permissible limit of k????1?×?10^?9?m/s were enclosed in an envelope (known as the acceptable zone) on the water content?Cdry unit weight curve. It was observed that compaction conditions resulting in moisture content slightly wet of optimum led to the lowest values of k and that the shapes and boundaries of the acceptable zones gradually increased in extent, shifting to wet side of optimum moisture content as the bentonite content increased to 10%. This approach provides good control over the quality of compacted soils and has great potential for field application.     

Diffusion of municipal waste contaminants in compacted lateritic soil treated with bagasse ash

Compacted clay can minimize infiltration of liquid into waste or control the release of contaminated liquids to the surrounding soils and groundwater. Compacted lateritic soil treated with up to 12 % bagasse ash and municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate sourced from a domestic waste land fill were used in diffusion test studies to access the diffusion characteristics of some inorganic species present in the municipal solid waste leachate. Diffusion set-up were prepared containing 0, 4, 8 and 12 % bagasse ash—soil mixes compacted at 2 % wet of optimum using the modified proctor effort. The set up was saturated with water for 30 days before the introduction of MSW leachate and initiation of diffusion test for another 90 days. After diffusion testing, water content within the soil column showed a decrease with depth. Diffusion test results generally showed that diffusion is an active means of transport of chemical species even at very low flow rates in the compacted soil-bagasse ash mixes, and the effective diffusion coefficient is affected by bagasse ash. The pore fluid concentration profile for the various chemical species tested showed that the compacted soil-bagasse ash mix has the capacity to attenuate Ca²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions.     

Assessing Stabilization Effectiveness of Combined Cement Kiln Dust and Quarry Fines on Pavement Subgrades Dominated by Black Cotton Soil

In developing technically viable and economically sustainable methods of improving soil properties to suit the requirements of engineering structures, designers/engineers are to take into consideration the availability and cost effectiveness of materials required for such improvement scheme. In line with this, the present study evaluates stabilization effectiveness of combined quarry fines (QF) and cement kiln dust (CKD) on subgrades dominated by black cotton soil (BC soil). The experimental programme included Atterberg limits, compaction and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests on soil mixtures prepared with a representative BC soil at constant dosage of 10 % QF and 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 % CKD. Prior to testing, soil mixtures for CBR test prepared at optimum moistures and compacted with British standard light compaction effort were soaked for 96 h after curing for 28 days. Test data show that the addition of QF and CKD together reduced the plasticity index that resulted in rapid textural changes and eventual improvement in constructability, led to an increase in the optimum moisture content and a decrease in the maximum dry unit weight. Furthermore, the coupled effects of QF and CKD resulted in substantial increase in CBR strength of the composite specimens. Overall, mixtures created using the proposed QF and CKD ratios rendered the soil physically and mechanically stable producing results that are compatible with desired values for engineering performance typically required by various user agencies for pavement subgrades. This improvement scheme is not only cost effective, but it is capable of lessening the demand on non renewable resources thereby reducing the footprint of road construction projects in the environment.     

Swelling characteristics of compacted lateritic soil–bentonite mixtures subjected to municipal waste leachate contamination

Compacted soil–bentonite mixtures are finding wide application as buffer material for waste repositories for their favorable self-sealing qualities. The swelling properties of such materials which serve as a measure of their self-sealing capabilities and, thus, the efficiency of the repository in sealing off their contents from the environment are closely related to the chemistry of the leachate that emanate from the wastes. For this reason, the swelling parameters (namely swelling potential and pressure) of compacted lateritic soil–bentonite mixtures under consideration for use as barrier in municipal waste landfill were evaluated. Series of swelling potential and pressure tests were performed using variable content (0–10 %) of bentonite at predetermined optimum moisture content. Soil mixtures were compacted with British Standard Heavy compactive effort and saturated with processed tap water as well as three leachate solutions of varying ionic strength that were generated in active open dump landfills. Experimental results showed that swelling potential based on the free swell together with the maximum swell pressures of compacted soil mixtures measured at equilibrium increased approximately linearly with increase in the amount of bentonite when inundated with processed tap water and the three leachate solutions. On the other hand, these swelling parameters decreased as the ionic strength of the leachate solutions measured by their electrical conductivity increased for the various soil mixtures. These results provide an insight into the swelling behavior and the possible degradation in the efficiency of the proposed lateritic soil–bentonite mixtures in relation to their use as buffer material in waste landfills.