A study on sorption properties of Cd2+ on Ariake clay for evaluating its potential use as a landfill barrier material

Abstract To assess the potential use of Ariake clay from Kyushu region of Japan as a landfill barrier material, the results of a series of batch tests are presented to investigate on the effects of solid–solution contact time, solid : solution ratio and pH of solution on sorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ on the Ariake clay. The results show that in addition to the three investigated factors, solid : solution ratio seems to be the crucial controlling factor. The Freundlich sorption parameters determined from the batch tests are applied to a typical landfill site in which the Ariake clay is used as a soil barrier. The impacts of the landfill on the underlying aquifer are assessed through numerical analysis. Based on the analysis results, the significance of selecting proper solid : solution ratio for determining sorption parameters from batch tests is discussed.