Hydrogeological properties of geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) permeated with synthetic acid mine drainage

N. Cheve, B. Bussière

In the proceedings of: GeoSt. John's 2019: 72nd Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: Mining

ABSTRACT: The performance of a conventional geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) acting as a barrier to fluids responsible for generating acid mine drainage was investigated in the laboratory. To do so, the saturated hydraulic conductivities (ksat), the drying water retention curves, and the effective diffusion coefficients (De) were compared for GCL specimens hydrated under low confining pressures with either deionized water or with synthetic acid mine drainage (SAMD). Hydration with SAMD led to ksat values approximately 10 times higher than those of samples hydrated with deionized water. Little to no impacts were observed on the water retention curves or De values. However, for a given De, the diffusive flux of oxygen through a GCL hydrated with SAMD was higher than for one hydrated with deionized water because the samples hydrated with the SAMD were 15 to 20 % thinner. Thus, permeation with SAMD adversely affected the performance of the studied GCL.

RÉSUMÉ: L drainage minier acide sur les propriétés hydrogéologiques bentonitique (GCB) conventionnel a été étudiée au laboratoire. Pour se faire, la conductivité hydraulique saturée, la courbe drainage drainage minier acide synthétique (DMAS) à de faibles pressions de confinement ont été comparés. DMAS a mené à une conductivité hydraulique saturée environ 10 fois plus élevée que celle des échantillons hydratés à les ont été moindredraté de 15-

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Cite this article:
N. Cheve; B. Bussière (2019) Hydrogeological properties of geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) permeated with synthetic acid mine drainage in GEO2019. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{Geo2019Paper459,author = N. Cheve; B. Bussière,title = Hydrogeological properties of geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) permeated with synthetic acid mine drainage,year = 2019}