COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Enhanced Clay Membrane Barriers for Sustainable Waste Containment

NSF项目摘要增强粘土薄膜屏障用于可持续废物容器PI：Michael A.Malusis博士，巴克内尔大学，刘易斯堡，PAPI：Jeffrey C.Evans博士，巴克内尔大学，路易斯堡，宾夕法尼亚州共同PI：Charles D.Shackelford博士，科罗拉多州立大学，柯林斯堡，科罗拉多州立大学(BU)，一个主要的本科生机构(PUI)和科罗拉多州立大学(CSU)，一个研究I机构。拟议研究的总体目标是评估通过使用粘土屏障同时提高废物遏制的效率和持续时间的概念，粘土屏障通过增强粘土屏障的衰减能力表现出膜的行为。膜行为代表粘土限制或阻止化学物种(污染物)移动的能力，但不代表溶解化学物种的水的能力。这项研究的目标是基于最近的研究结果，这些研究记录了(A)用作废物遏制应用(例如垃圾填埋场)屏障的粘土中存在膜行为，以及(B)由于粘土屏障中膜行为的存在而有益地降低了污染物穿透屏障的可能性。然而，迄今为止的研究也表明，在污染物通过屏障迁移的过程中，粘土膜的行为容易受到潜在的依赖于时间的降解的影响。从概念上讲，这种对膜降解的敏感性可以通过向粘土中添加具有高吸附能力的材料(例如，处理过的沸石和活性碳)来增强粘土的衰减(吸附)能力来抵消。由此产生的吸附能力的增加阻碍或延缓了污染物的迁移，从而使膜的行为保持了更长的时间。然而，添加剂材料的潜在影响需要评估，例如，确定所需的添加剂材料的量，添加剂材料在维持膜行为的存在和效率方面的有效性，以及添加剂材料对观察到的粘土的膜行为的任何不利相互作用的可能性。这项研究的结果将推动粘土薄膜屏障的实际使用的最新水平，不仅可以提高废物遏制的效率，而且还可以持续改善，以更长期地保护人类健康和环境。除了该项目的科学方面，波士顿大学和CSU之间的合作促进了研究生和本科生的实质性教学、培训和学习，从而对该专业产生了长期影响。北卡罗来纳大学的本科生和硕士研究生都参与了这项研究，这增加了这些学生决定分别攻读硕士和博士学位的可能性。这项研究还为波士顿大学的调查人员提供了与CSU的专业同事互动的机会，同时增加了CSU的调查人员与波士顿大学潜在的高质量研究生的接触。此外，这项研究使许多学生在学年期间调查人员预定的现场访问期间接触到最新的研究。最后，研究结果将不仅通过口头陈述和参考发表的论文向科学界和专业界传播，而且还将以开发专门传播有关粘土膜障碍行为和使用的信息的网站的形式向执业专业传播。

NSF Project AbstractEnhanced Clay Membrane Barriers for Sustainable Waste ContainmentPI: Dr. Michael A. Malusis, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PAPI: Dr. Jeffrey C. Evans, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA Co-PI: Dr. Charles D. Shackelford, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, COThis research project is a collaborative effort between Bucknell University (BU), a predominantly undergraduate institution (PUI), and Colorado State University (CSU), a Research I institution. The overall goal of the proposed research is to evaluate the concept of simultaneously improving both the efficiency and duration of waste containment through the use of clay barriers that exhibit membrane behavior by enhancing the attenuation capacities of the clay barriers. Membrane behavior represents the ability of clays to restrict or prevent the movement of chemical species (contaminants), but not the water in which the chemical species are dissolved. This research goal is based on the results of recent studies documenting both (a) the existence of membrane behavior in clays used as barriers for waste containment applications (e.g., landfills), and (b) the beneficial reduction in the potential for contaminants to penetrate the barrier resulting from the existence of membrane behavior in clay barriers. However, research to date also has indicated that clay membrane behavior is susceptible to potential time-dependent degradation during migration of the contaminants through the barriers. This susceptibility to membrane degradation conceptually can be offset by enhancing the attenuation (sorption) capacity of the clay by adding materials with high sorption capacities (e.g., processed zeolites and activated carbon) to the clay. The resulting increase in sorption capacity hinders or retards contaminant migration such that the membrane behavior is sustained for a longer period of time. However, the potential effect of the additive material requires evaluation, for example, to ascertain the amounts of additive material required, the effectiveness of the additive material in sustaining the existence and efficiency of the membrane behavior, and the potential for any adverse interaction of the additive material on the observed membrane behavior of the clay. The results of the research should advance the state-of-the-art with respect to the practical use of clay membrane barriers for not only improving the efficiency of waste containment but also sustaining the improvement for more long-term protection of human health and the environment. In addition to the scientific aspects of the project, the collaboration between BU and CSU promotes substantial teaching, training, and learning of both graduate and undergraduate students resulting in long-term impacts on the profession. The involvement of both undergraduate and master degree level graduate students in the research at BU enhances the probability that these students will decide to pursue MS and PhD degrees, respectively. The research also provides opportunities for the investigators at BU to interact with professional colleagues at CSU, while enhancing the exposure of the investigator at CSU to a pool of potentially high quality graduate students at BU. Also, the research exposes numerous students to the latest research during the scheduled site visits by the investigators during the academic year. Finally, the results of the research will be disseminated to the scientific and professional communities not only through oral presentations and refereed published papers, but also in the form of development of a web site devoted to dissemination of information on the behavior and uses of clay membrane barriers to the practicing profession.