Feasibility Study on the Applicability of Fly Ash as a Barrier Material in Containment System

In this study, the fly ash was employed as a possible alternative to the bentonite for its high sorption capacity against cationic heavy metal. To consider the constituents of barrier possibly used, the specimens were mixed with different material contents (fly ash : weathered soil : bentonite), then sorption test was performed. Also the specimens were molded on the wet side of optimum moisture contents like mixing ratio of sorption test and their hydraulic conductivities were measured in flexible-wall permeameters. And to confirm the effect of dissolved cations, the hydraulic conductivity tests were repeated by converting the permeant liquids from water to $Cd^{2+}$ solution. Finally, the Cd-concentration at the effluent was analyzed for 500hrs to compare the effectiveness of each specimen in contaminant retardation. Test results showed that the more the ratio of fly ash increase, the more Kd value increase, and the hydraulic conductivity of weathered soil/bentonite (95:5) mixture was the lowest $(2.9*10^{-8}cm/sec)$, and specimens made of fly ash and fly ash/weathered soil mixtures showed similar hydraulic conductivity. Although the permeant liquid was changed from water to $Cd^{2+}$ solution, the hydraulic conductivity of all specimens except for weathered soil maintained similarly like before. Consequently, the initial breakthrough point of Cd in weathered soil specimen was observed at about 5hrs after the test started while that of fly ash specimens was not observed during the whole test period of 500hrs. The results implied that fly ash had a sufficient retardation capacity against contaminant transport possibly by its high sorption capacity although it showed little effect on the reduction of hydraulic conductivity. Based on the test results, it could be concluded that the fly ash can be possibly used as a suitable barrier material in containment system to attenuate the contaminant transport for its high retardation capacity and for the low cost.