Webinar | Soil-Bentonite Slurry Walls: What We Have Learned From The Last 50 Years Of Practice And Research

Background/Objectives

Soil-bentonite (SB) slurry trench cutoff walls have been utilized for over five decades, gaining widespread adoption in the late 1970s for groundwater control at excavation sites and in the early 1980s for control of contaminant migration at contaminated sites. This presentation aims to review advancements in our understanding of soil-bentonite properties and to demonstrate how these insights have contributed to improved design practices for environmental containment systems.

Approach/Activities

Through case studies and research, significant progress has been made in understanding the key performance characteristics of SB slurry walls. This presentation will explore critical aspects of SB behavior, including the state of stress within the wall, consolidation and time dependent behavior, hydraulic conductivity, durability, wet/dry cycles, diffusion, compatibility of SB with contaminants in the environment, and osmotic (membrane) behavior. These findings will be discussed in the context of their implications for design optimization and long-term performance.

Results/Lessons Learned

SB cutoff walls have been in place as successful environmental containment measures since the early 1980s. Our understanding of properties and behavior has improved our ability to design vertical barriers for environmental containment. Vertical barriers, as a component of site remediation, can achieve long-term protection of the public health and the environment in a more sustainable manner as compared to more active remediation measures.

Presenter

JEFFREY C. EVANS, PHD, PE, BC.GE, F.ASCE: Jeffrey is Professor Emeritus at Bucknell University and a Principal Geotechnical Engineer at Parsons. Jeffery has extensive teaching, research, and consulting experience with a wide variety of geotechnical and environmental projects.

Microsoft Teams Meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device: Click here to join the meeting.
Meeting ID: 297 876 453 374
Passcode: Z4Lz34QL

Please visit the Parsons YouTube channel where video recordings of our previous
technical webinars are available for viewing