THE RESEARCH ACTIVITY PRESENTED IN THIS PROPOSAL FOCUSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIMPLE RAPID TESTS PROCEDURES TO PREDICT TRANSPORT OF WASTE LIQUIDS THAT CONTAIN ORGANIC COMPOUNDS THROUGH CLAYEY SOIL LINERS OVER EXTENDED TIME PERIODS.

THE RESEARCH ACTIVITY PRESENTED IN THIS PROPOSAL FOCUSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIMPLE RAPID TESTS PROCEDURES TO PREDICT TRANSPORT OF WASTE LIQUIDS THAT CONTAIN ORGANIC COMPOUNDS THROUGH CLAYEY SOIL LINERS OVER EXTENDED TIME PERIODS. THESE PROCEDURES REFLECT BULK POROSITY AND PORE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION CHARACTERISTICS OF SPECIFIC ORGANIC COMPOUND CLAY PAIRS. THE PROJECT WILL ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PERFORMING AND INTERPRETING THE FOLLOWING TESTS AS THEY RELATE TO PERMEABILITY OF SOILS TO WASTE LIQUIDS CONTAINING ORGANIC SOLVENTS AND OTHER CHEMICALS. (1) THE EFFECT OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ON THE SETTLING CHARACTERISTICS AND POROSITY OF CLAYEY SOILS. THIS TEST FOLLOWS THE TECHNIQUE FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION. USE IS MADE OF THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ON THE STATE OF FLOCCULATION OF THE CLAY. (2) THE EFFECT OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ON THE STRENGTH CHARACTERISTICS OF A CLAYEY SOIL, EXPRESSED AS PLASTIC PROPERTIES. THIS TEST IDENTIFIES CLAY STRUCTURAL CHANGES DUE TO ORGANIC COMPOUND CONTAMINATION BY MONITORING THE STRENGTH OF A WET CLAY. (3) THE EFFECT OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ON COMPRESSIBILITY OF CLAYEY SOILS. THIS TEST ASSESSES STRUCTURAL CHANGES OF A CLAY BY COMPARING THE COMPRESSION CURVES FOR CONTAMINATED AND UNCONTAMINATED SAMPLES.