Both temperature change and consolidation behavior affect the transport of organic contaminants in compacted clay liners (CCL) at the bottom zones of landfills, but the mechanisms of their coupling effects remain unknown. In this study, a theoretical model for the one-dimensional (1D) transport of organic contaminants in a CCL is established, where the coupling influences of temperature change and large-strain consolidation are considered for the first time. This model is solved via the finite difference and validated by three comparisons. Interestingly, the comparisons reveal that the temperature-induced changes in the effective diffusion coefficient and hydraulic conductivity of a CCL accelerate the transport rate when the leachate temperature increases, while such changes in sorption coefficient and preconsolidation pressure exhibit the opposite effect. Furthermore, the evaluation suggests that increased leachate temperature reduces the defined breakthrough time and increases bottom transport flux, but temperature fluctuation has a marginal effect on these two key parameters. With the increase of linear loading rate, the CCL’s barrier performance is gradually enhanced due to the decreasing porosity. Ultimately, the impacts of several vital factors on the CCL’s service life are evaluated. This work offers useful guidance for rational performance assessment and optimization design of CCL in antiseepage management projects.
LI et al. (Mon,) studied this question.