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Effects of chemical solutions on the hydromechanical behavior of a laterite/bentonite mixture used as an engineered barrier

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Abstract

Compacted laterite and bentonite, as well as a mixture of the two, are strongly impermeable and can effectively prevent the migration and diffusion of contaminants. This study explored the feasibility of employing a laterite/bentonite mixture as a vertical barrier in landfills, tailings ponds, or sites contaminated by heavy metals. Permeability tests using chemical solutions of different concentrations and compression tests were performed on mixed bentonite/laterite samples with different dry densities and mixing ratios. The permeability and consolidation characteristics were verified using scanning electron microscopy. The hydraulic conductivity of the laterite samples decreased with increased dry density, and the hydraulic conductivity of the mixed-soil samples decreased with increased bentonite content. Adding bentonite significantly improved seepage control performance. The hydraulic conductivity of the pure laterite was 4.7 × 10−7 cm/s, whereas that of the laterite sample mixed with 20% bentonite was 1.6 × 10−8 cm/s. The compacted laterite with a dry density of 1.5 g/cm3 was demonstrated to satisfy the permeability specifications to serve as a landfill seepage control system. When the concentration of the heavy metal or salt solutions increased, the laterite flocculation increased, and the hydraulic conductivity decreased. The laterite in the mixed soil samples substantially affected these characteristics, particularly decreasing the hydraulic conductivity. As the concentration of the chemical solutions increased, the yield stress of the compacted samples and the compression index decreased, and the compression performance improved. These findings indicate that chemical solutions significantly affect the hydromechanical behavior of a laterite/bentonite mixture used as an engineered barrier.

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Funding

The authors are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 41807253) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (Project No. 2019JJ50763) for their financial support. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Research Fund Program of the Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering (Tongji University), Ministry of Education (Project No. KLE-TJGE-B1803), the Open Research Fund Program of Key Laboratory of Metallogenic Prediction of Nonferrous Metals and Geological Environment Monitoring (Central South University), Ministry of Education (Project No. 2018YSJS12).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Metallogenic Prediction of Nonferrous Metals and Geological Environment Monitoring, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China

    Yong He, Ming-ming Wang, Dong-yu Wu & Ke-neng Zhang

  2. School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, No. 932 South Lushan Road, Changsha, 410083, People’s Republic of China

    Yong He, Ming-ming Wang, Dong-yu Wu & Ke-neng Zhang

  3. Key Laboratory of Geotechnical & Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education and Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Yong He, Yong-gui Chen & Wei-min Ye

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  1. Yong He
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  2. Ming-ming Wang
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  3. Dong-yu Wu
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  4. Ke-neng Zhang
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  5. Yong-gui Chen
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  6. Wei-min Ye
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Correspondence to Yong He.

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He, Y., Wang, Mm., Wu, Dy. et al. Effects of chemical solutions on the hydromechanical behavior of a laterite/bentonite mixture used as an engineered barrier. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 1169–1180 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02003-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02003-6

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