Performance-based design of landfill liners

Factors affecting chemical transport in geomembrane, clay and composite liners are reviewed, and a simplified performance-based method for evaluating landfill bottom liners is presented. For single geomembrane liners, mass transport of inorganic chemicals is calculated from the leakage rate from holes for an assumed frequency of hole occurrence. Transport of organic chemicals is obtained by accounting for molecular diffusion through the intact geomembrane. Migration of inorganic and organic chemicals in compacted clay liners is calculated using a solution of the 1D advection–dispersion-reaction equation. For composite liners consisting of a geomembrane and a clay liner, 3D flow and transport of inorganic chemicals is approximated using an equivalent 1D model for transport through an effective area of transport. The approximation is based on results from 3D analyses that have been conducted for a variety of cases. Migration of organic chemicals through composite liners is calculated using a 1D diffusion model. Applicability of the method is illustrated by using it to evaluate the relative performance of several different liner systems.