A multidisciplinary approach to improving the safety and durability of landfill barriers

摘要

Soil and groundwater protection relies firstly on properly designed and engineered containment landfills and the appropriate treatment of contaminated land. The most essential tool in preventing pollution from landfills is high-quality impervious barriers, while contaminated sites require a variety of treatment techniques in addition to containment. The paper analyses extensively the results of a major integrated research programme aimed at improving the safety and durability of basal liners, capping systems and slurry trench cutoff walls. The research results enable a well-founded scientific and technical prediction of the short- and long-term behaviour of landfill liners as well as a deeper understanding of the performance of construction materials. The containment versus in-situ treatment dilemma is briefly discussed.