Natural physical and biological processes compromise the long-term performance of compacted soil caps
Compacted soil barriers are components of essentially all caps placed on closed waste disposal sites. The intended functions of soil barriers in waste facility caps include restricting infiltration of water and release of gases and vapors, either independently or in combination with synthetic membrane barriers, and protecting other manmade or natural barrier components. Review of the performance of installed soil barriers and of natural processes affecting their performance indicates that compacted soil caps may function effectively for relatively short periods (years to decades), but natural physical and biological processes can be expected to cause them to fail in the long term (decades to centuries). This paper addresses natural physical and biological processes that compromise the performance of compacted soil caps and suggests measures that may reduce the adverse consequences of these natural failure mechanisms.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 158474
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9508197-1; ON: DE96003027; TRN: 96:001577
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: NAS workshop on barriers for long term isolation, Denver, CO (United States), 13 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Modeling and Simulation of Long-Term Performance of Near-Surface Barriers
Modeling and Simulation of Long-Term Performance of Near-Surface Barriers