Effect of Temperature, Permanent Type and Bacterial Degradation on the Permeability of a proposed landfill liner from recycled laminated plastic materials

Virgil B. Belaro

(MS Graduated: 2nd Sem 2008-2009)

Abstract

Recycling is currently one of the viable options to deal with plastic wastes to lessen its impact to the environment. Commercial recycling operations focus mostly on plastics made of a single polymer type. Plastic laminates are difficult to recycle since they are usually made up of different polymers types. The study of Senoro shows (Senoro 2006) that laminated wastes can be recycled into sheet forms that possess sufficient physical, mechanical, and chemical properties to function as a landfill liner. Yet, it has to be proven if the recycled material could be effectively contain landfill leachate and prevent the transport of contaminants through it. The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) defines a liner as “a system of clay layers and/or geosynthetic membranes used to contain leachate and reduce or prevent contaminant flow to groundwater”. Impermeability is an essential characteristic of any liner material, since its very function is pollutant containment.

Two types of recycled laminates (post-production waste with aluminum, and post-consumer waste from various packaging materials) were tested and compared to commercially available HDPE geomembrane liner. This study shows that temperature directly affects the permeability of all the plastic materials tested. Permeability increases ranging from 13% to 1,086% were observed when the materials were tested at 30°C and 45°C. The permeation rate between water and leachate vary significantly among the material tested, while bacterial action has no significant effect on the permeability.