A study on the relationship between the hydraulic conductivity and fines content of a liner material.

Abstract

Waste generation in Uganda is on a rise due to the increase in the population in the cities and stepping up of manufacturing especially with the production of oil and gas in the pursuit to achieve middle income status by 2040. Waste handling and disposal is therefore a growing concern in order to reduce on the pollution of the environment (air, water and soil) as Uganda and other countries in the world are parties to ensuring development takes place sustainably. Hydraulic containment is one of the methods used to handle the wastes to prevent contact between the wastes and water or soil. Compacted clays are commonly used on the bottom of landfills to act as sealants to stop migration of wastes to the underground water and soil. In a natural state, soil exists as a mixture of different soil types in different proportions. soil to be used a liner material it must have a good proportion of fines to give the desired value of hydraulic conductivity. In this study, the fines soil sample was mixed with sand in different proportions. Then the void ratios at MDD for the resulting mixtures were evaluated the using the standard proctor test. The oedometer consolidation test was then used to determine the hydraulic conductivities of the samples at different fines contents. The values obtained ranged between 4.6 x 10-11 m/s and 1.14x10-10 m/s.