ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Underground petroleum storage tank leaks pose great threat to the environment. Generally the contaminant release is very slow and detection is very hard. Stored gasoline, volatile organic compounds from dry cleaners etc contaminate the groundwater making it very hard and expensive to clean. A retarding composite layer made of tire buffings mixed with clay or sand is developed for this purpose to encapsulate the released material and give enough time for clean up in the case of a leak. The rubber absorbs the organic contaminants physically and expands imposing confining stress on the soil, causing a further decrease in hydraulic conductivity in addition to its retardation capacity. Consolidation permeameter tests are conducted on tire buffings-soil mixtures and hydraulic conductivity values are measured. A Finite Element Model of the composite is made and the effect of swelling of rubber upon contact with gasoline is studied. The design guidelines for site implementation are given.
