Evaluating Capping Alternatives for an Arctic Landfill

摘要

This paper presents an evaluation of capping alternatives for an 18.2 hectare landfill located in Barrow, Alaska. When closure planning for the Barrow Landfill began, excavation and removal or treatment of wastes was included in the initial evaluation of potential closure options. However, due to Barrow's remote location and the high costs of waste excavation, transportation, and/or incineration, capping was identified as the most cost-effective closure method. Three general types of caps were evaluated in a comparative analysis, including a freezeback cap, silt cap, and a composite soil/geomembrane cap. A numerical selection process introduced by Peggs and Thiel was used for rating and selecting a specific geomembrane. Cold weather shear testing results for Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and Polypropylene (PP) are presented. Based on the evaluation process and the cold weather testing of geomembrane samples, the recommended capping alternative was a buried PP geomembrane.