Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 12
Development of cation
exchange processes in
geosynthetic clay liners
By Kurt D. Katzenberger, M.S., E.I.T.; James L. Hanson, Ph.D., P.E.; Nazli Yesiller, Ph.D.;
Kuo Tian, Ph.D., P.E.; Dong Li, M.S.; and Kristin Sample-Lord, Ph.D., P.E.
G
eosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are multi-component materials commonly used in
hydraulic barrier systems in applications ranging from different types of landfills to
waste ponds to additional liquid containment applications. Conventional GCLs consist of
a thin layer of montmorillonite clay (i.e., bentonite) typically
encased between two geotextile layers and in some cases an
additional geofilm layer attached to one of the geotextile
layers. Sodium (Na) montmorillonite (i.e., Na-bentonite)
is the main clay mineral in GCLs manufactured and used
in North America. Figure 1 presents a GCL installed along
the slope of a bottom liner component in a municipal solid
waste landfill.
GCLs provide high resistance to the transport of water.
However, these materials are strongly affected by the chemistry
of other liquids, such as liquids containing cations with
higher charges than that of sodium due to the highly active
montmorillonite mineral (Mitchell and Soga 2005). The
barrier function of the GCLs may be significantly affected
when in contact with highly concentrated solutions (NRC
2007, Benson et al. 2011), as presented in Figure 2.
Replacement of monovalent sodium (Na+) with polyFIGURE
1 GCL panel installed in the bottom liner system of a municipal solid
waste landfill. Photo courtesy of Nazli Yesiller
Kurt Katzenberger is a staff geotechnical
engineer at ENGEO Incorporated in Oakland,
Calif. He received both his bachelor's and master's
degrees in civil engineering from California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
All figures courtesy of the authors unless otherwise noted.
12
Geosynthetics | October November 2023
valent cations (e.g., Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe3+) through a cation
exchange process significantly affects the material properties
of the bentonite component and the overall engineering
properties of GCLs. Adverse impacts of cation exchange on
both fully saturated and variably saturated GCLs have been well demonstrated in the
literature (e.g., Kolstad et al. 2004, Jo et al. 2005, Scalia and Benson 2011, Yesiller et
al. 2019). While various studies have investigated effects of cation exchange on GCL
behavior, studies on timing and rate of exchange processes are limited. Data and analysis
have been reported for GCLs hydrated overlying/between different soils (type, water
content, density/compaction conditions) including determination of cation exchange
Geosynthetics October/November 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics October/November 2023
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - Cover1
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - Cover2
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 1
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 2
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 3
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 4
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 5
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 6
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 7
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 8
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 9
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 10
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 11
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 12
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 13
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 14
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 15
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 16
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 17
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 18
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 19
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 20
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 21
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 22
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 23
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 24
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 25
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 26
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 27
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 28
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 29
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 30
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 31
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Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 33
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 34
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 35
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 36
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 37
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 38
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 39
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 40
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 41
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 42
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 43
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - 44
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - Cover3
Geosynthetics October/November 2023 - Cover4
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