Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Short- and long-term transports of heavy metals through earthen liners: physical and numerical modeling

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

Abstract

The effectiveness of earthen liners in preventing the migration of heavy metals (HM) from the landfill requires the study of the transport parameters of HM and the determination of the optimum thickness of the earthen liners that can effectively retain the HM within their permissible concentrations during the lifetime of a landfill. The aim of this study is to investigate the transport behavior of four HM (cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) through an earthen liner via physical and numerical modeling. Subsequently, the optimum thickness of earthen liners required to prevent the breakthrough of HM for different assumed landfill life expectancies was assessed from the long-term migration profiles of HM. In general, the extent of HM migration in two types of compacted residual soil liners, which were clayey sand and silty sand, followed the sequence of Zn < Cd < Cu < Pb. It is observed that the extent of HM migration was greater in the compacted silty sand sample attributed to its higher porosity and lower HM adsorption capacities. The numerical simulations results further revealed that the optimum thickness required for compacted clayey and silty sand liners to retain the four studied HM within their regulatory threshold values for a period of 100 years were 1 m and 1.9 m, respectively. Considering the higher mobility and more stringent allowable concentration of Cd, Cd can serve as a key indicator of early HM contamination caused by leachate migration from Malaysian municipal solid waste landfills.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adamcova D, Radziemska M, Ridoskova A, Barton S, Pelcova P, Elbl J, Kynicky J, Brtnicky M, Vaverkova MD (2017) Environmental assessment of the effects of a municipal landfill on the content and distribution of heavy metals in Tanacetum vulgare L. Chemosphere 185:1011–1018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldaeef AA, Rayhani MT (2015) Hydraulic performance of compacted clay liners under simulated daily thermal cycles. J Environ Manage 162:171–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvarez JMF, Martinez IG, Bonilla HG, Gildo-Ortiz L (2016) Modified carbon paste electrodes used to evaluate the retention properties of Cd2+, Pb2+ and Cu2+ on biosolids, soils and biocomposites. Int J Electrochem Sci 11:2066–2084

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Yaqout A, Hamoda MF (2020) Long-term temporal variations in characteristics of leachates from a closed landfill in an arid region. Water Air Soil Pollut 231(319):1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhalla B, Saini MS, Jha MK (2013) Effect of age and seasonal variations on leachate characteristics of municipal solid waste landfill. Int J Res Eng Technol 2(8):223–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • British Standard Institution (BSI) (1990) BS1377:1990, Methods of Test for Soils for Civil Engineering Purposes, BSI, London

  • British Standard Institution (BSI) (1999) BS5930:1999, Code of Practice for Site Investigations, BSI, London

  • Chalermyanont T, Arrykul S, Charoenthaisong N (2009) Potential use of lateritic and marine clay soils as landfill liners to retain heavy metals. Waste Manage 29:117–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chotpantarat S, Ong SK, Sutthirat C, Osathaphan K (2011) Competitive sorption and transport of Pb2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ in lateritic soil columns. J Hazard Mater 190:391–396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christophi CA, Axe L (2000) Competition of Cd, Cu, and Pb adsorption on goethite. J Environ Eng 126(1):66–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmanuel E, Anggraini V, Gidigasu SSR (2019) A critical reappraisal of residual soils as compacted soil liners. SN Appl Sci 1(460):1–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Fadhullah W, Kamaruddin MA, Ismail N, Sansuddin N, Abdullah H (2019) Characterization of landfill leachates and its impact to groundwater and river water quality: a case study in Beris Lalang waste dumpsite, Kelantan. Pertanika J Sci Technol 27(2):633–646

    Google Scholar 

  • Fauziah SH, Izzati MN, Agamuthu P (2013) Toxicity on Anabas Testudineus: a case study of sanitary landfill leachate. Procedia Environ Sci 18:14–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermawan AA, Chang JW, Pasbakhsh P, Hart F, Talei A (2018) Halloysite nanotubes as a fine grained material for heavy metal ions removal in tropical biofiltration systems. Appl Clay Sci 160:106–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussein M, Yoneda K, Mohd-Zaki Z, Amir A, Othman N (2021) Heavy metals in leachate, impacted soils and natural soils of different landfills in Malaysia: an alarming threat. Chemosphere 267:1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishak AR, Mohamad S, Soo TK, Hamid FS (2016) Leachate and surface water characterization and heavy metal health risk on cockles in Kuala Selangor. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 222:263–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jayawardhana Y, Kumarathilaka P, Herath I, Vithanage M (2016) Municipal solid waste biochar for prevention of pollution from landfill leachate, In Prasad, M.N.V. & Shih, K. (ed.). Environ Mater Waste pp. 117–148.

  • Kamaruddin MA, Yusoff MS, Aziz HA, Alrozi R (2016) Current status of Pulau Burung sanitary landfill leachate treatment. Penang Malaysia, AIP Conference Proceedings 1774(030014):1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamaruddin MA, Yusoff MS, Rui LM, Isa AM, Zawawi MH, Alrozi R (2017) An overview of municipal solid waste management and landfill leachate treatment: Malaysia and Asian perspectives. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:26988–27020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaza S, Yao LC, Bhada-Tata P, Van Woerden F (2018) What A Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050. Urban development. World Bank. Washington

  • Kjeldsen P, Barlaz MA, Rooker AP, Baun A, Ledin A, Christensen TH (2002) Present and long-term composition of msw landfill leachate: a review. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 32(4):297–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y-H, Gregory S (1974) Diffusion of ions in sea water and in deep-sea sediments. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 38(5):703–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malaysia Department of Statistics (MDS) (2020) Compendium of Environment Statistics, Malaysia 2020. Available at: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=162&bul_id=TjM1ZlFxb3VOakdmMnozVms5dUlKZz09&menu_id=NWVEZGhEVlNMeitaMHNzK2htRU05dz09. (Accessed: 15/12/2021)

  • Malaysia Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MMHLG) (2004) Technical Guideline for Sanitary Landfill, Design and Operation (Revised Draft, 2004), Malaysia Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Putrajaya

  • Malaysia Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MMNRE) (2010a) Environmental Requirements: A Guide for Investors, Malaysia Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Putrajaya

  • Malaysia Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MMNRE) (2010b) Geological Map of Rawang, 1:63360, Kuala Lumpur.

  • Malaysia Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MMNRE) (2010c) Kuala Lumpur, 1:63360, Kuala Lumpur.

  • Mohd Zin NS, Aziz HA, Adlan NM, Ariffin A, Yusoff MS, Dahlan I (2013) A comparative study of Matang and Kuala Sembeling landfills leachate characteristics. Appl Mech Mater 361–363:776–781

    Google Scholar 

  • Mulligan CN, Yong RN, Gibbs BF (2001) Remediation technologies for metal-contaminated soils and groundwater: an evaluation. Eng Geol 60:193–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nightingale ER (1959) Phenomenological theory of ion solvation. Effective Radii of Hydrated Ions. J Phys Chem 63(9):1381–1387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nor Nazrieza MS, Siti Rohana MY, Subramaniam K, Hazilia H, Amir Herberd A (2015) Characterization of leachate from Panchang Bedena landfill, Batang Padang landfill and Matang landfill: A comparative study. Malaysian J Sci 34(1):69–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paumier S, Touze-Foltz N, Mazeas L, Guenne A (2011) Quantification of volatile organic compounds diffusion for virgin geosynthetic clay liners and for a GCL after contact with a synthetic leachate. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 137(11):1039–1046

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renou S, Givaudan JG, Poulain S, Dirassouyan F, Moulin P (2008) Landfill leachate treatment: review and opportunity. J Hazard Mater 150:468–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rong L, Zhang C, Jin D, Dai Z (2017) Assessment of the potential utilization of municipal solid waste from a closed irregular landfill. J Clean Prod 142:413–419

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe RK, Mukunoki T, Sangam HP (2005) BTEX diffusion and sorption for a geosynthetic clay liner at two temperatures. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 131(10):1211–1221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samadder SR, Prabhakar R, Khan D, Kishan D, Chauhan MS (2017) Analysis of the contaminants released from municipal solid waste landfill site: a case study. Sci Total Environ 580:593–601

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scalia J, Bohnhoff GL, Shackelford CD, Benson CH, Sample-Lord KM, Malusis MA, Likos WJ (2018) Enhanced bentonites for containment of inorganic waste leachates by GCLs. Geosynth Int 25(4):392–411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shackelford CD (1989) Diffusion of contaminants through waste containment barriers. Transp Res Rec 1219:169–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Shackelford CD, Daniel DE (1991) Diffusion in saturated soil I : background’. J Geotech Eng 117:467–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shackelford CD (1991) Laboratory diffusion testing for waste disposal - a review. J Contam Hydrol 7:177–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shackelford CD (1993) Contaminant transport, In Daniel, D.E. (ed.), Geotechnical Practice for Waste Disposal, Chapman & Hall, London, pp. 34–62

  • Shackelford CD (2014) The ISSMGE Kerry Rowe lecture: the role of diffusion in environmental geotechnics. Can Geotech J 51(11):1219–1242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shu S, Zhu W, Wang S, Ng CWW, Chen Y, Chiu ACF (2018) Leachate breakthrough mechanism and key pollutant indicator of municipal solid waste landfill barrier systems: centrifuge and numerical modeling approach. Sci Total Environ 612:1123–1131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simunek J, Jacques D, Langergraber G, Bradford SA, Sejna M, Genuchten MT (2013) Numerical modeling of contaminant transport using HYDRUS and its specialized modules. J Indian Inst Sci 93(2):265–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Simunek J, Sejna M, Saito H, Sakai M, Genuchten MT (2009) The HYDRUS-1D Software Package for Simulating the One-Dimensional Movement of Water, Heat, and Multiple Solutes in Variably-Saturated Media. University of California Riverside, Riverside

    Google Scholar 

  • Somani M, Datta M, Gupta SK, Sreekrishnan TR, Ramana GV (2019) Comprehensive assessment of the leachate quality and its pollution potential from six municipal waste dumpsites of India. Bioresour Technol Rep 6:198–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) (2019) Compendium of Solid Waste Management in Malaysia 2019. SWCorp, Putrajaya

  • Stanforth R, Ham R, Anderson M, Stegmann R (1979) Development of a synthetic municipal landfill leachate. J Water Pollut Control Fed 51(7):1965–1975

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuermer MM, Boscov MEG, Oliveira E (2008) Metal transport parameters of a gneiss saprolitic silty soil for liner design. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 134(4):509–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang Q, Gu F, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Mo J (2018) Impact of biological clogging on the barrier performance of landfill liners. J Environ Manage 222:44–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (1996) Acid Digestion of Sediments, Sludges, and Soils. USEPA, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (2012) Closure and Post-Closure Care Requirements for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. USEPA, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • VanGulck JF, Rowe RK (2004) Evolution of clog formation with time in columns permeated with synthetic landfill leachate. J Contam Hydrol 75:115–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Li Z-W, Huang B, Jiang W-G, Guo L, Huang J-Q, Zeng G-M (2015) Kinetics comparison on simultaneous and sequential competitive adsorption of heavy metals in red soils. J Cent South Univ 22:1269–1275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xaypanya P, Takemura J, Chiemchaisri C, Seingheng H, Tanchuling M (2018) Characterization of landfill leachates and sediments in major cities of indochina peninsular countries—heavy metal partitioning in municipal solid waste leachate. Environments 5(65):1–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Yong ZJ (2017) Papan Landfill Leachate Treatment Using A Sequencing Batch Reactor and Coagulation, Undergraduate thesis, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Petaling Jaya, viewed 16 April 2018, http://eprints.utar.edu.my/2582/

  • Zainol NA, Aziz HA, Yusoff MS (2012) Characterization of leachate from Kuala Sepetang and Kulim Landfills: a comparative study. Energy Environ Res 2(2):45–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

Financial support for this study is provided by the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia with grant number FRGS/1/2017/TK01/MUSM/03/01.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil Engineering Discipline, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia

    Lee Li Yong, Vivi Anggraini & Mavinakere Eshwaraiah Raghunandan

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mohd. Raihan Taha

Authors
  1. Lee Li Yong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vivi Anggraini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mohd. Raihan Taha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mavinakere Eshwaraiah Raghunandan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vivi Anggraini.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yong, L.L., Anggraini, V., Taha, M.R. et al. Short- and long-term transports of heavy metals through earthen liners: physical and numerical modeling. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 69 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02569-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02569-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation