Computer Modeling Approach of Leachate Flow in Compacted Laterite Soil Liner

Abstract

The use of hydraulic barriers in sanitary landfills has become an impeccable means of protecting the groundwater system from leachate. A question to be asked is, can these barriers continue to impede the migration of leachate over a long period? This paper investigates the phenomenon of leachate migration in compacted laterite soil used as liner in sanitary landfills. An experiment was carried out using laterite soil compacted at optimum moisture content using Standard Proctor energy. Leachate was poured on the compacted soil in an acrylic column and its migration was monitored using Digital Image Technique (DIT). The DIT capture photographic images at successive intervals of time which were fed through an image processing code to convert them to hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) format with the help of Surfer and Matlab computer softwares. Subsequently, PetraSim computer software was applied to predict the velocity behavior. The predicted velocity value shows that the laterite soil is compatible with the leachate and can be used as soil liner. The outcome of this study would enable designers to use non-destructive method to monitor and predict leachate migration in compacted soil liners to simulates leachate migration in waste containment applications.