Barrier systems engineering for environmental protection from emerging contaminants of concern

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Canada annually spends over $2 billion in collection and disposal of waste. Barrier systems - comprised of a geomembrane liner (a thin plastic sheet) overlying a geosynthetic clay liner (a thin layer of low permeability clay) and a natural soil layer - are used to line the bottom of land fills and heap-leaching facilities used in mineral extraction (eg. for gold and copper mining). The purpose of the barrier system is to prevent groundwater contamination by minimizing the escape of toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment. Barrier systems presently used to contain municipal waste were developed with heavy metals and hydrocarbons as the main contaminants of concern. However, there are new emerging contaminants of concern like nanoparticles, leached plastic stabilizers and brominated flame retardants - where there is growing concern about their potential release into the environment. Virtually nothing is known about the effectiveness of current barrier systems to contain these contaminants. Another important question is how long will plastic geomembranes act as an effective barrier to contain emerging contaminants of concern. This project presents an opportunity to answer these questions by examining these new contaminants in the context of a systems engineering approach, which we have been developing over the past few years, to address a problem of major national importance; namely ensuring the health and security of surface water and groundwater. The experimental findings from this project will be used in optimization modelling to be conducted as part of the systems engineering evaluation of existing designs and in the development of improved barrier system designs. The research brings together university researchers, engineering consultants, liner manufacturers and regulators who will work to help improve the performance of barrier systems to contain emerging contaminants of concern. The research will be conducted by 4 PhD and 2 Masters students, 1 Postdoctoral fellow and 1 technician who will obtain specialized research training and gain practical experience through the active involvement of the industrial partners.