The Usability of Clay/Pumice Mixtures Modified with Biopolymer as an Impermeable Liner

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The Usability of Clay/Pumice Mixtures Modified with Biopolymer as an Impermeable Liner

Kurt Albayrak, Zeynep Nese / Gencer, Gamze

In geotechnical engineering, it is frequently benefited from clays as an impermeable liner in landfills, as a clay core providing impermeability in earth dams. However, geotechnical properties of such soils may change in the course of time due to the changes occurred in their water contents depending on the clay’s mineralogical and chemical structure. To overcome such problems, clay soils are attempted to be improved with chemical additives. In this research, geotechnical properties of the specimens that had been obtained by mixing pumice-containing clay soils with biopolymers were studied. For this purpose, firstly, natural clay was mixed with the pumice powder at certain percentages to produce clays containing pumice. Then, these pumice containing clays were interacted with locust bean gum at certain percentages to produce clay-pumice specimens containing biopolymer. The experimental results showed that liquid limit values increase with the increase in the biopolymer percentage, and the specimens exhibit non-plastic characteristic. Furthermore, with the increase in locust bean gum, dry unit weights of the specimens decreased, their unconfined compressive strength increased and their hydraulic conductivity values changed. Thus, it may be said that clay/pumice mixtures containing that eco-friendly biopolymer may be used in landfill areas as an impermeable liner.