assessment of chemical and geotechnical properties for optimal selection of nigerian laterite soil as liner material in solid waste landfills

Examining the applicability of laterite clay for landfill and other engineering applications is critical due to the daily challenges that practitioners face as a result of material property variation. the suitability of seven selected laterite deposits in southwestern nigeria as usable liner material in solid waste landfill construction was investigated in this study, taking geotechnical properties and chemical composition into account. purposive samples were collected and tested in accordance with astm standard procedures for analyzing geotechnical properties. x-ray diffraction analysis was used to determine the soil’s clay mineral composition. the clay mineral composition of the soil was determined using x-ray diffraction analysis. the geotechnical analysis revealed the following ranges for the samples: gravel particle size percentage (3.7% to 34.0%), fines particle size percentage (17.4% to 71.7%), liquid limit (28.1% to 65.8%), plasticity index (3.95 to 45.53), activity (0.44 to 0.81), coefficient of permeability (6.75 x10-10 m/s to 5.80 x 10-6 m/s), specific gravity (2.639 to 2.768), and maximum dry density (1462 kg/m3 to 2065 kg/m3). x-ray diffraction test revealed that the clay minerals content in the seven location clay deposit varies depending on location. the study revealed that the clay mineralogical composition affects the suitability of the soil as a landfill liner material. four among the seven clay deposits considered in this study were found suitable as a liner for solid waste landfills as compared with landfill material standard specifications.