This report presents available information covering the first year's exposure of liner materials to sanitary landfill leachate. Included in the report are descriptions of the monitoring and disassembly of the generators to recover the liner specimens, the results of the testing of the exposed liners, and a discussion of the results. The year's exposure did not result in losses of impermeability in any of the liners. There were losses, however, in the compressive strength of the admix liner materials. There were some losses in the physical properties of some of the polymeric membranes and swelling of most of these membranes. Among the polymeric membranes, the crystalline types of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polybutylene sustained the least change during the year's exposure. However, these liners, or films, are prone to puncture and tear and are generally difficult to handle in the field. The thermoplastic membranes, chlorinated polyethylene, chlorosulfonated polyethylene (Hypalon), and polyvinyl chloride, tended to swell the most. The vulcanized rubbery liner materials, e.g., butyl and EPDM, (Ethylene propylene terpolymers) changed little during the exposure period but had the lowest initial seam strength.

Contract no. 68-03-2134. Sept. 1976; reprinted March 1979. Includes bibliographical references.

Second interim report.