Assessment of the pollutant transports parameters in barrier materials: Performance of GCL compared to clay liner.

The manufactured sealing materials become current in environmental protection plant. The performance of these materials concerns specially their permeability. The tests described in this study show that the clay liner can have a better performance because of its retention capacity and its chemical stability. The long time flow through the GCL increases its permeability. It is shown that the barrier system made up of clay delays the flow of pollutants better and its effective dispersion coefficient has little variation during the leachate percolation. It is necessary to reduce the stay time on the GCL by efficient drainage system above it. The pollutant flux delay can be insured by increasing the barrier system thickness.