The use of liners for the containment and control of pollution – A review

Geotechnical liners are widely used for the control and containment of pollution. Their uses are varied, extending from containment of mine waste (tailings) and capping of waste rock dumps for the mining industry, to the containment of leachate and landfill gas within waste disposal sites. They are used increasingly to control landfill gas, leachate and soil contaminants to allow the successful redevelopment of contaminated land. \n Environmental legislation concerning the use of liners for pollution control, emanating both from the United States and from the European Community, has become increasingly restrictive. In the United States the regulations require adherence to prescribed standards and methods of design which predetermine the type, thickness and number of liners required on a particular site. The design of liners is therefore increasingly dictated by prevailing national "cookbook"-type legislation. As a result, improvements in technology and the cost benefits of an engineered approach are often lost. \n The paper presents case histories involving the use of both natural and artificial liners for a range of purposes under different legislative regimes and includes a review of different liner types. Comparisons of design criteria are provided and the appropriateness of the legislation in each case is discussed. Recent developments in liner design are also discussed, including mention of the advent of "intelligent liner systems".