Clay slurry and engineered soils as containment technologies for remediation of contaminated sites
- Reclamation Technology, Inc., Athens, GA (United States)
- Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
Clay Slurry and Engineered Soils are containment technologies for remediation of waste disposal sites where leaching, groundwater plumes and surface runoff of contaminants are serious ecological hazards to adjacent environments. This technology is a patent-pending process which involves the use of conditioned clay materials mixed with sand and water to form a readily pourable suspension, a clay slurry, which is either placed into a trench barrier system or allowed to de-water to create Engineered Soils. The Engineered Soil forms a layer impervious to water and air, therefore by inhibiting both water and oxygen from penetrating through the soil the material. This material can be installed in layers and as a vertical barrier to create a surface barrier containment system. The clay percentage in the clay slurry and Engineered Soils varies depending on site characteristics and desired performance standards. For example Engineered Soils with 1-2% of clay (dry wt.) had a hydraulic conductivity (K) of 10{sup -8} to 10{sup -1} cm/sec. Tests of tailing materials from a kyanite and pyrite mine showed that the clay slurry was effective not only in reducing the permeability of the treated tailings, but also in decreasing their acidity due to the inherent alkalinity of the clay. The untreated tailings had pH values in the range of 2.4 - 3.1; whereas, the effluent from clay and tailings mixtures had pH values in a slightly alkaline range (7.7-7.9). Pug-mills and high volume slurry pumps can be readily adapted for use in constructing and placing caps and creating Engineered Soils. Moreover, material on site or from a local sand supply can be used to create clay slurries and engineered soils. Clay materials used in cap construction are likewise readily available commercially. As a result, the clay slurry system is very cost effective compared to other capping systems, including the commonly used High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner systems.
- Research Organization:
- US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 576543
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970208-Proc.; ON: DE98001967; TRN: 98:005162
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International containment technology conference and exhibition, St. Petersburg, FL (United States), 9-12 Feb 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]; Related Information: Is Part Of International Containment Technology Conference: Proceedings; PB: 1140 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Structural analysis of closure cap barriers: A pre-test study for the Bentonite Mat Demonstration Project. Revision 1
PROOF OF CONCEPT TEST OF A UNIQUE GASEOUS PERFLUROCARBON TRACER SYSTEM FOR VERIFICATION AND LONG TERM MONITORING OF CAPS AND COVER SYSTEMS CONDUCTED AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE BENTONITE MAT TEST FACILITY.