Slurry wall subsurface barriers consist of vertically excavated trenches filled with slurry. The slurry, usually a mixture of bentonite and water, hydraulically shores the trench to prevent collapse and retards ground water flow.
These subsurface barriers consist of a vertically excavated trench that is filled with slurry. The slurry hydraulically shores the trench to prevent collapse and forms a filter cake to reduce ground water flow. Slurry walls often are used where the waste mass is too large for treatment and where soluble and mobile constituents pose an imminent threat to a source of drinking water.
Most slurry walls are constructed of a soil, bentonite, and water mixture. The bentonite is used primarily for stabilization during trench excavation. A soil-bentonite backfill material is then placed into the trench to create the cutoff wall. This composition provides a barrier with low permeability and chemical resistance at low cost. |
