10.2190/ES.33.1.a 4304078081158MN8 1 Effects of Leachate-Soil Interaction on Shear Strength, Permeability, Compaction, and Chemical Characteristics 1 18 20120119 20120119 20120119 20120119 4304078081158MN8.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=4304078081158MN8 1 Rana Al-Fares College of Engineering & Petroleum, Kuwait University This article presents the results of an investigation program, consisting of laboratory tests, carried out to determine the short-term effects of leachate contamination on the geotechnical and chemical properties of clean silty sandstone soil locally known as Gatch. Leachate is released due to the decay, oxidation, and corrosion of waste discarded carelessly in old abandoned pits of opencast mining or quarries with minimal use of manual waste separation techniques and no use of liners. In some cases, this results in the percolation of contaminated leachate causing severe risk to the surrounding soil, groundwater, and community health. An extensive laboratory-testing program was carried out to determine the properties of the clean weakly cemented calcareous/gypsiferous silty sandstone material obtained from Al-Jahra city, located 37 Km northwest of Kuwait City. Real municipal solid waste leachate obtained from a waste disposal site, known as Al-Qurain landfill, was used in this study to prepare the soil-leachate mixtures. Contaminated specimens were prepared by mixing the natural soil with the real leachate in the increments of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight of soil to vary the degree of contamination. The chemical characteristics of the leachate used were also determined. A general deterioration of soil properties attributed to the chemistry of the leachate formed is noted. E. Bahaa-Edin, I. Yusoff, S. Abdul Rahim, W. Zuhairi, and M. Abdul Ghani, Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil Beneath a Waste Disposal Site at Dengkil, Selangor, Malaysia, <i>Soil Sediment Contamination, 17</i>, pp. 449-466, 2008. M. Al-Meshan and F. Mahrous, Management of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in the State of Kuwait, <i>Proceedings of the 2nd Asian Pacific Landfill Symposium</i>, Seoul, Korea, 2002. S. Al-Muzaini, Characteristics of Leachate at the Qurain Dumping Site, <i>Journal of Food, Agriculture, and Environment, 4</i>:2, pp. 251-254, 2006. J. Al-Medeij and F. Al-Ruwaih, Periodic Behavior of Groundwater Level Fluctuations in Residential Areas, <i>Journal of Hydrology, 328</i>, pp. 677-684, 2006. A. Al-Yaqout and M. Hamoda, Evaluation of Landfill Leachate in Arid Climate—A Case Study, <i>Environment International, 29</i>:5, pp. 593-600, 2003. M. Anikwe and K. Nowbodo, Long Term Effect of Municipal Waste Disposal on Soil Properties and Productivity of Sites Used for Urban Agriculture in Abakaliki, Nigeria, <i>Bioresource Technology, 83</i>, pp. 241-250, 2002. M. Zairi, M. Ferchichi, A. Ismail, M. Jenayeh, and H. Hammami, Rehabilitatión of El Yahoudia Dumping Site, Tunisia, <i>Waste Management, 24</i>, pp. 1023-1034, 2004. A. Roque and G. Didier, Calculating Hydraulic Conductivity of Fine-Grained Soils to Leachates Using Linear Expressions, <i>Engineering Geology, 85</i>, pp. 147-157, 2006. S. Nayak, B. Sunil, and S. Shrihar, Hydraulic and Compaction Characteristics of Leachate-Contaminated Lateritic Soil, <i>Engineering Geology, 94</i>, pp. 137-144, 2007. B. Sunil, S. Shrihari, and S. Nayak, Shear Strength Characteristics and Chemical Characteristics of Leachate-Contaminated Lateritic Soil, <i>Engineering Geology, 106</i>, pp. 20-25, 2009. WPCF, <i>Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater</i> (20th Edition), American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C., <i>41</i>, pp. 231-235, 1998. R. Al-Fares and R. Al-Jarallah, Geo-Environmenal Site Characterization at a Waste Disposal Site Using Traditional in Situ Techniques, <i>The State of Kuwait, Kuwait—Journal of Science and Engineering, 38</i>:1B, pp. 33-47, 2011. J. Uppot and R. Stephenson, Permeability of Clays Under Organic Permeants, <i>Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, 115</i>:1, pp. 115-131, 1989. P. Mathew and S. Rao, Influence of Cations on Compressibility Behavior of a Marine Clay, <i>Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 123</i>:11, pp. 1071-1073, 1997.