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Capillary Barrier System to Prevent Contaminant Releases from Landfills

Author(s): Markus Kampf; Hector Montenegro

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Abstract: Landfills and waste piles require an engineered surface cover upon closure. The capping system can vary from simple soil cover to multiple layers of earthen and geosynthetic materials. Conventional design features a compacted soil layer, which suffers from drying out and cracking, root and animal intrusion. Capillary barriers consisting of tilted fine-over-coarse soil layers are being investigated as an alternative cover system. Under unsaturated conditions the textural contrast delays the vertical drainage by capillary forces. The moisture that builds up above the contact will flow downdip along the interface of the layers. Recently progress has been made on the theoretical study of capillary barriers. This studies identificate the hydraulic properties of the layers, the inclination angle, the length of the field and the infiltration rate as the fundamental characteristics of the system. Yet it is unclear, if this findings can lead to applicable design criteria for capillary barriers. In order to asses the uncertainty involved in such approaches, experiments have been carried out in a 8 m long flume and on 40 m long test sites.

DOI:

Year: 1997

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