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Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2025 | Viewed by 9945

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jianyong Shi

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Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Geomechanics and Embankment Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
Interests: geomembrane; geotextile; geosynthetic clay liner; high density polyethylene pipe; municipal solid waste; landfill

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The safe operation of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill is crucial to avoid contaminant diffusion, environmental impacts, and public health threats. MSW landfill consists of cover systems, solid waste heaps, liner systems, leachate, and gas collection systems. In these functional systems, polymer composites such as geomembranes, geotextiles, geosynthetic clay liner, and high-density polyethylene pipes have been widely used given their excellent engineering properties. In addition, as the main body of the landfill, the solid waste heap, including household waste, fly ash, and sludge, contains plenty of polymer composites. The solid waste heap stability and settlement of the landfill is influenced by the reinforcement of polymer composites.

This Special Issue will focus on recent research efforts and advances in polymer composites in MSW landfills and their current or potential applications. Authors are invited to submit their latest results, in the form of both original papers and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Jianyong Shi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

geomembrane
geotextile
geosynthetic clay liner
high density polyethylene pipe
contaminant diffusion
municipal solid waste
fly ash
sludge
fiber reinforcement
leachate treatment
landfill
heap stability
environmental protection

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3735 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Development of Smart Material Identification Equipment for Sustainable Recycling in Future Smart Cities

by Gaku Manago, Tadao Tanabe, Kazuaki Okubo, Tetsuo Sasaki and Jeongsoo Yu

Polymers 2025, 17(4), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17040462 - 10 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 985

Abstract

Waste recycling is critical for the development of smart cities. Local authorities are responsible for the disposal of waste plastics, but the extent of material recycling is insufficient, and much of the waste generated is incinerated. This conflicts with the trend of decarbonisation. Of particular note are the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, during and after which large quantities of waste plastics, such as plastic containers and packaging, were generated. In order to develop a sustainable smart city, we need an effective scheme where we can separate materials before they are taken to the local authorities and recyclers. In other words, if material identification can be performed at the place of disposal, the burden on recyclers can be reduced, and a smart city can be created. In this study, we developed and demonstrated smart material identification equipment for waste plastic materials made of PET, PS, PP, and PE using GaP THz and sub-THz wavelengths. As basic information, we used a GaP terahertz spectrometer to sweep frequencies from 0.5 THz to 7 THz and measure the spectrum, and the transmittance rate was measured using the sub-THz device. The sub-THz device used a specific frequency below 0.14 THz. This is a smaller, more carriable, and less expensive semiconductor electronic device than the GaP. Moreover, the sub-terahertz device used in the development of this equipment is compact, harmless to the human body, and can be used in public environments. As a result, smart equipment was developed and tested in places such as supermarkets, office entrances, and canteens. The identification of materials can facilitate material recycling. In this study, we found that measuring devices designed to identify the PET and PS components of transparent containers and packaging plastics, and the PP and PE components of PET bottle caps, could effectively identify molecular weights, demonstrating new possibilities for waste management and recycling systems in smart cities. With the ability to collect and analyse data, these devices can be powerful tools for pre-sorting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills)

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13 pages, 9113 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on the Chlorine-Induced Corrosion and Blister Formation of Steel Pipes Coated with Modified Polyethylene Powder

by Myung Kue Lee, Dongchan Kim and Min Ook Kim

Polymers 2024, 16(17), 2415; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16172415 - 26 Aug 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1136

Abstract

In this study, chlorine-induced corrosion and blister formation on steel pipes (SPs) coated with modified polyethylene powder (MPP) were evaluated through various tests, including chlorine exposure, wet immersion, and temperature gradient experiments. The results confirmed that the extent of corrosion and iron leaching varied with the coating type as expected. In batch leaching tests, no corrosion was observed on modified polyethylene-coated steel pipes (MPCSPs) within a chlorine concentration range of 0 mg/L to 10 mg/L; similarly, there were no significant changes in specimen weight or iron levels. In contrast, the control group with uncoated SPs exhibited significant iron leaching and corrosion, a trend consistent in sequential leaching experiments. SEM analysis after a month of chlorine exposure revealed no significant corrosion on MPCSPs, and SEM-EDX confirmed no major changes in the carbon bond structure, indicating resistance to high chlorine concentrations. Comparative analysis of wet immersion and temperature gradient tests between MPCSP and conventional epoxy-coated SP (ECSP) specimens revealed that MPCSPs did not develop blisters even after 100 days of immersion, whereas ECSPs began showing blisters as early as 50 days. In temperature gradient tests, MPCSPs showed no blisters after 100 days, while ECSPs exhibited severe internal coating layer blisters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills)

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13 pages, 1824 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Engineering Properties of Novel Vertical Cutoff Wall Backfills Composed of Alkali-Activated Slag, Polymer-Amended Bentonite and Sand

by Zheyuan Jiang, Xianlei Fu, Jianyong Shi, Chi Che and Yanjun Du

Polymers 2023, 15(14), 3059; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143059 - 16 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1613

Abstract

The workability, hydraulic conductivity, and mechanical properties are essential to contaminant containment performance of cementitious backfills in vertical cutoff walls at contaminated sites. This study aims to investigate the engineering properties of a novel vertical cutoff wall backfill composed of reactive magnesia (MgO)-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), sodium-activated calcium bentonite amended with polyacrylamide cellulose (PAC), and clean sand (referred to as MSBS-PAC). Backfills composed of MgO-activated GGBS, sodium-activated calcium bentonite, and clean sand (referred to as MSBS) were also tested for comparison purposes. A series of tests were conducted which included slump test, flexible-wall hydraulic conductivity test, and unconfined compression test. The pore size distributions of two types of backfills were investigated via the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The results showed the moisture content corresponding to the target slump height was higher for MSBS-PAC backfill than that for MSBS backfill. The MSBS-PAC backfill possessed lower pH, dry density, and higher void ratio at different standard curing times as compared to MSBS backfill. The unconfined compressive strength and strain at failure of the MSBS-PAC backfill were noticeable lower than those of the MSBS backfill. In contrast, the hydraulic conductivity of MSBS-PAC backfill was approximately one order of magnitude lower than that of the MSBS backfill, which was less than 10⁻⁹ m/s after 28-day and 90-day curing. Lower hydraulic conductivity of MSBS-PAC backfill was attributed to the improvement of pore structure and pore fluid environment by PAC amendment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills)

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13 pages, 2967 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transport of Organic Contaminants in Composite Vertical Cut-Off Wall with Defective HDPE Geomembrane

by Hai Lin, Wenzhou Huang, Liangni Wang and Zhanlei Liu

Polymers 2023, 15(14), 3031; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143031 - 13 Jul 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1531

Abstract

Soil-bentonite vertical cut-off wall is an emergency technique used for contaminant control in geo-environmental engineering, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane (GM) with an extremely low-permeability coefficient is expected to enhance the contaminant barrier effect of the vertical cut-off wall. To evaluate the barrier performance of the composite barrier composed of GM and soil-bentonite mixture towards organic contaminant, while also quantitively revealing the impact of GM defects and placement, a one-dimensional transport model for organic contaminants in composite barrier is solved under semi-infinite boundary conditions. The proposed transport model is validated by numerical simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4, and the effects of GM defect rate, placement within the composite isolation wall, and contact level with soil-bentonite on contaminant transport behavior are further studied. The results show that as the average frequency of GM defects increases from 2.5 to 50 holes per hectare, the breakthrough time of organic contaminants through composite barrier decreases by almost 70%. Poor contact level between GM and soil-bentonite mixture may reduce the breakthrough time of the composite cut-off wall by 65%. Although the selection of GM placement has limited impact on the transient flux of contaminants, it does affect the total flux of contaminants over a certain period of time. The effects of permeability coefficient, effective diffusion coefficient, distribution coefficient, and hydraulic head of the composite cut-off wall can be considered by the proposed analytical solution, which would provide guidance and reference for the design and service performance evaluation of the composite cut-off wall. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills)

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14 pages, 9936 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bearing Capacity and Mechanism of the H–V Geogrid-Reinforced Foundation

by Juan Hou, Sitong Liu, Boohyun Nam and Yanxia Ma

Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2606; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122606 - 8 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1799

Abstract

A series of model tests were conducted to investigate the bearing capacity and reinforced mechanism of a horizontal–vertical (H–V) geogrid-reinforced foundation. The bearing capacities of the unreinforced foundation, the conventional geogrid, and the H–V geogrid-reinforced foundation were compared. The parameters, including the length of the H–V geogrid, the vertical geogrid height, the depth of the top layer, and the number of H–V geogrid layers, are discussed. Through experiments, it was found that the optimal length of H–V geogrid is around 4B, the optimal vertical geogrid height is approximately 0.6B, and the optimal depth of the top H–V geogrid layer is between 0.33B and 1B. The optimal number of H–V geogrid layers is 2. The result also indicates that the bearing capacity of H–V geogrid is almost 1.7 times greater than that of conventional geogrid. Additionally, the maximum top subsidence of H–V geogrid-reinforced foundation decreased by 13.63% compared to that of conventional geogrid-reinforced foundation. Under the same settlement, the bearing capacity ratio of two H–V geogrid-reinforced foundation layers is 75.28% higher than that of one layer. The results also demonstrate that the vertical elements of H–V geogrid interlock the sand from being displaced under the applied load and redistribute the surcharge over a wider area, thereby increasing the shear strength and improving the bearing capacity of an H–V geogrid-reinforced foundation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills)

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20 pages, 5663 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strength Characteristics of a Smooth HDPE Geomembrane/Nonwoven Geotextile Interface Based on a Novel Ring Shear Apparatus

by Zhanlei Liu, Jianyong Shi, Hai Lin and Yuchen Zhang

Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2497; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112497 - 29 May 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1891

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the interfacial strength characteristics, particularly the residual strength, of a high-density polyethylene smooth geomembrane (GMB-S)/nonwoven geotextile (NW GTX) interface using a novel ring shear apparatus under high normal stresses and two specimen conditions. A total of eight normal stresses (from 50 kPa to 2308 kPa) and two specimen conditions (dry and submerged at ambient temperature) are considered in this study. The reliability of using the novel ring shear apparatus to study the strength characteristics of the GMB-S/NW GTX interface was demonstrated by conducting a series of direct shear experiments with a maximum shear displacement of 40 mm and ring shear experiments with a shear displacement of 10 m. The peak strength, post-peak strength development, and residual strength determination method of the GMB-S/NW GTX interface are explained. Three exponential equations suitable for characterizing the relationship between the post-peak friction angle and the residual friction angle of the GMB-S/NW GTX interface are established. This relationship can be used with the relevant apparatus (i.e., an apparatus with deficiencies in executing large shear displacement) in determining the residual friction angle of the high-density polyethylene smooth geomembrane/nonwoven geotextile interface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills)

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