CORRESPONDENCE_1982-1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ps ' ~� It would seem that neutrall�arl®n Liquids In Landfills:The Federal Regulatory History t; of acids and bases prior to their Prior to May 1980 No regulations concerning the disposal of;I' disposal would be the best landfills. safeguard against clay liner May 1980 EPA promulgated regulations to prohibit t' failure /n these Cases unless the ment of bulk or containerized liquid waste resulting salts have an adverse fills. , effect on the !/Hers. November 1981 Rules promulgated May 19.- 1980, wen effect. 2€; February 1982 EPA suspended the prohibition of landfill-I" of bulk or containerized liquids. permeabilities in excess of I x 10-' March 1982 EPA, responding to the public outcry promp. cm/sec prior to the passage of one pore the February action, promulgated an intern volume. The calcareous smectitic soil (effective on the same date) prohibiting the exceeded this permeability within 1.5 disposal of containerized liquids unless all fr ' pore volumes (Fig. 2C) Density to vis- uid is removed, absorbed, solidified or oth. cosity ratio of acetone (2.4) indicates eliminated. that permeability to acetone should in- July 1982 EPA promulgated interim final rules that;(lj, crease 240% over values obtained with tinued the rule promulgated in March of 198 water. Observed permeabilities for the containerized liquids and (2) stated bulk liq acetone permeated soils exceeded must not be placed in landfills unless the facili 1000% of the permeabilities to water. equipped with a liner and leachate collection While illitic and calcareous smectitic tem. clay soils were 100 fold (10,000%) Leachates can be generated in landfills ing for the liners. Rather,he feels' more permeable, the noncalcareous even with no burial of bulk or contai- designers and operators can rely ort smectic clay soil was 1000 fold nerized liquids. This happens when ei- manufacturer's specifications.Or (100,000%) more permeable to acetone ther (a) the waste's own liquid content water monitoring of the new sites u' than water. separates from the waste or(b)surface required if a double liner is used.' It is interesting to note that all soils water or groundwater which has infil- single liner is used, however, gro treated with acetone has initial perme- trated the landfill passes through the water monitoring is required. Lose ability decreases. These decreases con- waste. Ther ►re, even though EPA's detection and collection systems will`, tinued until passage of ^:0.5 pore vol- new rules covering existing and new required in the double-lined facili ume. During passage of the next 0.5 hazardous waste landfills, issued in which do not monitor groundwa pore volume, however the soils under- July 1982,ban the burial of free liquids Says Cook, "If a leak is detected, went large permeability increases. in containers, and bulk liquids without groundwater monitoring would be' Initial permeability decreases were a liner and leachate collection system, .quired if corrective action is not to thought to be caused by the higher leachate can still be generated and will when the leak is discovcro.°' dipole moment of acetone relative to have to be collected. What the new regulations don't da;i� water, while the subsequent permeabil- In existing clay-lined landfills, while place significantly more attention Cq ity increases may have been due to the groundwater monitoring is now re- preventing leachate generation t higher molecular weight of acetone rel- quired, testing liner permeability has existed in past practice;instead iia« lative to water.Changing the liquid in a against expected leachates, as recom- chates are expected to be collected at clay soil to one with a higher dipole mended in this article, is not. In a tele- treated when they are discovered. moment tends to cause swelling and phone call to EPA's RCRA Hotline, The new EPA rules may eventuali thereby decrease the permeability of a CE was told it would be "wise" to test be superseded in part by legislati soil. Changing the liquid to one with a clay liners for permeability but not Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., has intr higher molecular weight tends to cause required. If the waste does migrate, duced a bill requiring EPA to begin jbil l shrinking and hence increases the per- EPA pointed out, the site would be eli- process of moving to alternative me meability of a soil. Examination of the gible for action under RCRA and Su- ods of toxic waste disposal. The soil after acetone treatment showed ex- perfund. would require EPA to draw up a listensive shrinkage and cracking. Such For new facilities, according to Mi- the most dangerous hazardous was soil shrinkage is usually associated with chael Cook, deputy director of EPA's and would prohibit landfill disposadehydration, indicating that acetone Office of Solid Waste,the synthetic lin- those wastes until methods of render may have extracted water from soil ers that will henceforth be required them harmless can be certified by th particle surfaces. must be compatible with the wastes agency. CE will report on the progr Permed. ' ties of the four clay soils to that are being disposed. He does not of this bill as it moves through the Se m anol all t creased to values greater believe that this will mean special test- ate.—T.W. and A.M. an I x 10.7 ig. 213). Unlike acetone, ffiethanollfas a lower dipole moment than water and consequently caused no initial 'permeability decrease. Since the soils showed steady permeability Permeabilities of the four clay soils to particle migration was not detected in inerea_jes to values 10 fold or 1000% xylene are shown in Fig.2E.Permeabil-' the methanol treated soils, soil piping (kaolinitic soil) and 1'00 fold or ity changes due to the density to viscos was discounted as the mechanism for 10,000% (illitic and noncalcareous ity ratio of xylene to water (1.07) the observed permeability increases. If smectitic soils) of permeability values accounts for only a 7% increase in per- these increases were due solely to the obtained with water. Examination of meability. Actual permeability of the 1.46 density to viscosity ratio of metha- the methanol permeated soils revealed soils to xylene averaged 100 fold or nol to water, permeability of the soils the development of large pores and 10,000% of the values obtaindd with would have leveled out at values 146% cracks visible in the sflrface oI tTie" water. A possible cause of the perme- of those obtained with water. Instead, soils. ---ability increases was seen in the strut 68 Civil Engineering-ASCE September 1902 i