Assessment of Properties and the Influence on Compaction Characteristics, Settlement Behaviour, and Hydraulic Conductivity at Tanjung Dua Belas and Air Hitam Landfills

This study evaluates the geotechnical characteristics of soils obtained from two landfill sites in Selangor, Malaysia, namely Tanjung Dua Belas and Air Hitam, to determine their suitability as compacted landfill liner materials. An integrated laboratory investigation was conducted to determine key physical properties, compaction behaviour under varying energy levels, consolidation characteristics, and stress-dependent hydraulic conductivity. The results reveal clear differences in engineering performance between the two soils. The Air Hitam soil achieved higher Maximum Dry Density (MDD) values ranging from 1.832 to 1.987 g/cm³ at lower Optimum Moisture Contents (OMC) between 11.92% and 14.81%, demonstrating more efficient particle packing and compaction response compared to the Tanjung Dua Belas soil, which recorded MDD values between 1.410 and 1.565 g/cm³ with higher OMC ranging from 18.56% to 22.56%. Consolidation analysis further indicated lower settlement for Air Hitam (1.401 mm) relative to Tanjung Dua Belas (1.583 mm), reflecting improved stiffness and reduced compressibility. Hydraulic conductivity decreased with increasing applied stress for both soils, with Air Hitam reducing from approximately 3.07 × 10⁻⁸ cm/s to 1.47 × 10⁻⁸ cm/s, while Tanjung Dua Belas decreased from 4.19 × 10⁻⁸ cm/s to 2.90 × 10⁻⁸ cm/s. The lower permeability and denser soil structure observed for Air Hitam indicate improved resistance to leachate migration under landfill loading conditions. Overall, the results demonstrate that soil physical characteristics strongly influence compaction, consolidation, and permeability behaviour, with the Air Hitam soil showing comparatively superior suitability for engineered landfill liner applications.

Landfill liner, Compaction characteristics, Hydraulic conductivity, Settlement behaviour, Soil properties

1. Adunoye, G. O. (2024). Study of relationships between compaction characteristics and selected index properties of soil. International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development. https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd63428.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Alzara, M., Onyelowe, K. C., Ebid, A. M., Hanandeh, S., Yosri, A. M., & Alshammari, T. O. (2024). Modeling of the effect of gradation and compaction characteristics on the California Bearing Ratio of granular materials for subbase and landfill liner construction. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 23630. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74106-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Amadi, A. A., & Eberemu, A. O. (2012). Delineation of compaction criteria for acceptable hydraulic conductivity of lateritic soil-bentonite mixtures designed as landfill liners. Environmental Earth Sciences, 67(4), 999–1006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1544-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Asadi, A., Huat, B. B. K., Hanafi, M. M., Mohamed, T. A., & Shariatmadari, N. (2011). Chemicogeomechanical sensitivities of tropical peat to pore fluid pH related to controlling electrokinetic environment. Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, 34(4), 481–487. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. https://doi.org/10.1080/02533839.2011.576491 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Chapuis, R. P. (2012). Predicting the saturated hydraulic conductivity of soils: A review. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 71(3), 401–434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-012-0418-7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Dhadse, G. D., Ramtekkar, G., & Bhatt, G. (2022). Effect of particle size, moisture content and density on the hyperbolic model parameters for non-cohesive soil. International Journal of Engineering: Transactions B—Applications, 35(9), 1699–1706. https://doi.org/10.5829/ije.2022.35.09c.04 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Dr. Prasanna, H. S., Harshitha, D., Singh, K., & Suhruth, S. (2017). Correlation of compaction characteristics of fine-grained soils using Atterberg limits. International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.17577/IJERTV6IS060051 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Emmanuel, E., Anggraini, V., Raghunandan, M. E., & Asadi, A. (2020). Utilization of marine clay as a bottom liner material in engineered landfills. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 8(4), 104048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2020.104048 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. EsmaeilpourShirvani, N., TaghaviGhalesari, A., Tabari, M. K., & Choobbasti, A. J. (2019). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Improvement of the engineering behavior of sand-clay mixtures using kenaf fiber reinforcement. Transportation Geotechnics, 19, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2019.01.004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Khalid, U., & Rehman, Z. (2018). Evaluation of compaction parameters of fine-grained soils using standard and modified efforts. International Journal of Geo-Engineering, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40703-018-0083-1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Lat, D. C., Noor, S. N. A., Razali, R., Rosli, H., & Rahman, N. S. (2023). Utilization of kenaf core fiber – marine clay mixture as a landfill liner material. Jurnal Kejuruteraan, 35(1), 117–122. http://journalarticle.ukm.my/21944/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Lieske, W., Sarkar, D., Goudarzy, M., & Wichtmann, T. (2024). On the impact of plastic fines on the compaction characteristics of sand. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42(5), 3451–3469. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-023-02738-5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Mishra, A. K., & Sridharan, A. (2020). A critical study on shrinkage behaviour of clays. International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 14(1), 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/19386362.2017.1405541 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Mukri, M., Zainuddin, A. N., Abdullah, N. A., & Ibrahim, N. (2018). Performance of different percentage on nano-kaolin as additives in soil liner application. Materials Today: Proceedings, 5, 2214– 7853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2018.02.123 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Nath, H., Kabir, M. H., Kafy, A. A., Rahaman, Z. A., & Rahman, M. T. (2023). Geotechnical properties and applicability of bentonite-modified local soil as landfill and environmental sustainability liners. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 18, 100241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2023.100241 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Nikbakht, M., Sarand, F. B., Dabiri, R., & Hajialilue Bonab, M. (2023). Investigation of the leachate effect on permeability and geotechnical characteristics of fine-grained soil modified using nanoclay– nanofiber composites. Water, 15(2), 294. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15020294 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Onyelowe, K. C., Van, D. B., & Firoozi, A. A. (2021). Shrinkage parameters of modified compacted clayey soil for sustainable earthworks. Journal of the University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.17576/jkukm-2020-33(1)-13 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Phanikumar, B. R., & Ramanjaneya Raju, E. (2020). Compaction and strength characteristics of an expansive clay stabilised with lime sludge and cement. Soils and Foundations, 60(1), 129–138. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2020.01.007 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Rasheed, E. W., & Atemimi, Y. K. (2025). Effect of pH value on contaminated clay soil. Scientific Review Engineering and Environmental Sciences, 34(2), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.22630/srees.10405 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Rodgers, M., & Mulqueen, J. (2006). Field-saturated hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils from falling-head well tests. Agricultural Water Management, 79(2), 160–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2005.02.011 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Simarmata, D. C. V., Satomi, T., & Takahashi, H. (2022). Study on mechanical properties of cemented soil reinforced by empty fruit bunch (EFB). International Journal of the Society of Materials Engineering for Resources, 25(1), 109–114. https://doi.org/10.5188/ijsmer.25.109 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Teng, J., Kou, J., Zhang, S., & Sheng, D. (2019). Evaluating the influence of specimen preparation on saturated hydraulic conductivity using nuclear magnetic resonance technology. Vadose Zone Journal, 18(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2018.09.0179 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Widomski, M. K., Stępniewski, W., & Musz-Pomorska, A. (2018). Clays of different plasticity as materials for landfill liners in rural systems of sustainable waste management. Sustainability, 10(7), 2489. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072489 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Zhang, Z., & Zhang, M. (2024). A simple model for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soil. Applied Sciences, 14(3), 1254. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031254 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Drone-Based Phenotyping and its Utilization in Crop Improvement: A Review
• An IoT-Enabled Smart Healthcare Monitoring System Using Machine Learning for Early Health Risk Prediction
• Strategic Integration of Artificial Intelligence for Achieving Operational Excellence in Container Freight Stations Using Evidence from Chennai, India
• Adoption of OTT platforms: Analyzing User Behavior through the UTAUT2 Model
• Customers’ Buying Behaviour in Relation to Online Food Delivery (Evidence from National Capital Region (NCR) of India)