Volume 1, Issue 2 — Year 2024 — Article e100015

Mahdi Nikbakht¹; Fariba Behrooz Sarand²; Rouzbeh Dabiri³

1. Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz 5158913791, Iran
2. Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz 5158913791, Iran
3. Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz 5158913791, Iran

Soil permeability plays a crucial role in controlling leachate migration, which is a major environmental concern in landfills. This study presents an experimental investigation to evaluate the effect of fine-grained soil permeability on leachate migration as part of a broader geotechnical research project. For this purpose, 12 untreated soil samples were compared with 12 samples containing 3% nanoclay, 12 samples with 6% nanoclay, and 12 samples with 9% nanoclay. Unlike conventional permeability tests that use water, this study utilized real landfill leachate from the Tabriz landfill site to simulate actual environmental conditions. The primary objective was to assess the impact of nanoclay on soil permeability and its potential for improving landfill liners. To comprehensively analyze soil behavior, Atterberg limits, chemical analyses, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests were performed alongside permeability measurements. The results demonstrated that increasing the nanoclay content significantly reduced permeability, with values decreasing from 10⁻⁶ m/s in untreated samples to 10⁻⁹ m/s in samples with 9% nanoclay. This reduction indicates that nanoclay enhances the impermeability of fine-grained soils, making them more effective barriers against leachate infiltration. These findings suggest that nanoclay-modified soils could serve as an efficient and sustainable material for landfill liners, reducing the environmental risks associated with leachate migration. The study provides valuable insights into the application of nanotechnology in geotechnical engineering, particularly in waste management and soil stabilization projects.

Nanoclay, Permeability reduction, Fine-grained soil, Experimental study, Soil stabilization