U.S. patent application number 10/718128 was filed with the patent office on 2005-05-19 for contaminant-reactive geocomposite mat and method of manufacture and use.
This patent application is currently assigned to AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Darlington, Jerald W. JR., Hornaday, Charles J., Olsta, James T., Trauger, Robert J..
Application Number | 20050103707 10/718128 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34574651 |
Filed Date | 2005-05-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050103707 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Olsta, James T. ; et
al. |
May 19, 2005 |
Contaminant-reactive geocomposite mat and method of manufacture and
use
Abstract
Reactive geocomposite mats, and their method of manufacture, for
treating contaminants in soil or water that allow the passage of
essentially non-contaminated water therethrough. The geocomposite
mat includes a pre-formed woven or non-woven geotextile, having a
thickness of about 6 mm to about 200 mm, and having, a porosity
sufficient to receive a powdered or granular contaminant-reactive
material, contaminant-sorptive material, or a
contaminant-neutralizing material (hereinafter collectively
referred to as "contaminant-reactant material" or
"contaminant-reactive material") throughout its thickness, or in
any portion of the thickness across its entire major surface(s).
The powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material is disposed
within the pores of the previously formed, high loft geotextile mat
to surround the fibers, e.g., by vacuum or vibrating the high loft
mat while in contact with the contaminant-reactive material to
allow the powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material to
flow by gravity into the pores of the previously formed geotextile
and vibrational forces. Liquid-permeable cover sheets are adhered
to the upper and lower major surfaces of the filled geotextile to
prevent the powdered or granular material from escaping from the
geotextile during transportation and installation.
Inventors: |
Olsta, James T.; (Bartlett,
IL) ; Hornaday, Charles J.; (Arlington Heights,
IL) ; Trauger, Robert J.; (Cary, IL) ;
Darlington, Jerald W. JR.; (Marengo, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP
6300 SEARS TOWER
233 S. WACKER DRIVE
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
AMCOL INTERNATIONAL
CORPORATION
Arlington Heights
IL
|
Family ID: |
34574651 |
Appl. No.: |
10/718128 |
Filed: |
November 19, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
210/502.1 ;
210/266; 210/503; 210/505 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 3/02 20130101; D06N
2201/02 20130101; B01D 2239/0659 20130101; B01D 2239/0668 20130101;
B09C 1/002 20130101; Y10T 442/674 20150401; B32B 2307/726 20130101;
D04H 3/00 20130101; B32B 2262/0253 20130101; D06N 3/0011 20130101;
E02D 31/004 20130101; B01D 2239/10 20130101; Y10T 428/249921
20150401; Y10T 428/24 20150115; Y10T 442/699 20150401; B32B 3/26
20130101; D06N 2201/0263 20130101; Y10T 442/676 20150401; B32B 5/26
20130101; B32B 7/12 20130101; B09C 1/08 20130101; D06N 2201/0254
20130101; D06N 2209/126 20130101; E02D 17/202 20130101; B01D
2239/0681 20130101; B32B 2264/10 20130101; Y10T 156/1069 20150115;
B32B 37/12 20130101; Y10T 442/659 20150401; B01D 39/1623 20130101;
Y10T 428/31786 20150401; D06N 2211/16 20130101; D06N 2205/10
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
210/502.1 ;
210/503; 210/266; 210/505 |
International
Class: |
B01D 039/00 |
Claims
1. A reactive geocomposite article for treating contaminants in
soil or water comprising a pre-formed geotextile mat formed from
woven or non-woven fibers, having a thickness of about 6 mm to
about 200 mm and having upper and lower major surfaces, wherein the
geotextile has void spaces between geotextile fibers that provide
sufficient porosity to receive a powdered or granular reactive
material throughout its thickness; a powdered or granular reactive
material disposed within the void spaces of the geotextile mat and
surrounding the geotextile fibers; liquid-permeable cover sheets
adhered to the upper and lower major surfaces to confine the
reactive materials within the geotextile article.
2. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 1, wherein the
powdered or granular reactive material is selected from the group
consisting of activated carbon, coke breeze, zero-valent iron,
apatite, organophilic clay, zeolite, polymeric ion exchange resins,
polymeric adsorbing resins and mixtures thereof.
3. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 1, wherein the
geotextile fibers are selected from the group consisting of
polyolefin, polyester, polyamide, and copolymers of any two or more
of the foregoing.
4. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 2, wherein the
reactive material is an adsorbent material selected from the group
consisting of activated carbon, coke breeze, organophilic clay, and
any combination thereof.
5. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 1, wherein the
pre-formed geotextile, prior to receiving the powdered or granular
reactive material, has an apparent opening size in the range of
about 0.5 mm to about 6 mm.
6. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 5, wherein the
powdered or granular reactive material has a particle size such
that at least 90% of the particles have a size in the range of
about 6 mesh to about 325 mesh.
7. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 5, wherein the
powdered or granular reactive material comprises about 50% to about
99.9% by volume of the geotextile mat.
8. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 1, wherein the
geocomposite article has 30 lb/ft.sup.3 to 100 lb/ft.sup.3 of
powdered or granular reactive material contained therein.
9. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 3, wherein the
geotextile fibers are selected from the group consisting of
polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, polyester fibers and
polyamide fibers.
10. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 1, wherein the
pre-formed geotextile mat is non-woven.
11. The reactive geocomposite article of claim 10, wherein the
liquid-permeable cover sheets are non-woven textiles.
12. A method of manufacturing a geocomposite article capable of
sorbing, reacting with, or neutralizing a liquid-contained
contaminant comprising: providing a pre-formed geotextile mat
having an apparent opening size in the range of about 0.5 mm to
about 6 mm and having opposed major surfaces; contacting one of the
major surfaces of the geotextile mat with a powdered or granular
material capable of sorbing, reacting with, or neutralizing the
liquid-contained contaminant, and causing the powdered or granular
material to flow into the pre-formed geotextile mat to fill at
least a major portion of the pre-formed geotextile mat within
openings of the mat; and adhering a liquid-permeable cover sheet to
a major surface of the pre-formed geotextile mat with a
water-insoluble adhesive after the mat has received the powdered or
granular material.
13. The method of claim 12 further including the step of securing a
liquid-permeable cover sheet to a lower major surface of the
geotextile mat before filling at least a major portion of the
pre-formed geotextile mat with the powdered or granular
material.
14. The method of claim 12, further including the step of covering
edges of the pre-formed geotextile mat with a sheet material
layer.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the edges of the geotextile mat
are covered with excess material from one or both of the cover
sheets.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the excess material of the cover
sheets are secured together to cover the edges of the geotextile
mat by adhesively securing the cover sheets together over the edges
of the geotextile, or heat-sealing the cover sheets together
surrounding the edges of the geotextile.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the powdered or granular
material is caused to flow into the geotextile mat by vibrating the
geotextile while in contact with the powdered or granular
material.
18. The method of claim 12, wherein the powdered or granular
material is caused to flow into the geotextile by applying a vacuum
to an undersurface of the geotextile to draw the powdered or
granular material into the mat from an upper surface.
19. The method of claim 12 further including the step of providing
at least one of the cover sheets having a dimension larger than the
major surface of the geotextile mat to provide excess cover
material so that the excess cover material extends over an edge
surface of the geocomposite article, and securing the excess cover
material to the geotextile article to cover the edge surface,
thereby reducing or eliminating escape of powdered or granular
material through the covered edge surface of the geotextile
article.
20. The method of claim 19, including the step of covering all edge
surfaces with excess cover material, and securing the excess cover
material to the geocomposite article thereby reducing or
eliminating escape of powdered or granular material through all
edge surfaces of the geotextile article.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the cover sheet is secured over
the edge surface by an expedient selected from the group consisting
of adhesively securing, needlepunching and ultrasonic welding.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the cover
sheets is secured over all edge surfaces by an expedient selected
from the group consisting of adhesively securing, needlepunching
and ultrasonic welding.
23. A method of manufacturing a multi-layer geocomposite article
having a geotextile layer filled with a powdered or granular
material adhered to an adjacent geotextile mat containing no added
powdered or granular material comprising: providing a pre-formed
geotextile mat having an apparent opening size in the range of
about 0.5 mm to about 6 mm and having opposed major surfaces;
contacting one of the major surfaces of the geotextile mat with a
powdered or granular material capable of sorbing, reacting with, or
neutralizing a liquid-contained contaminant, and causing the
powdered or granular material to flow into the pre-formed
geotextile mat to fill at least a major portion of void spaces in
the pre-formed geotextile mat; adhering liquid-permeable cover
sheets to the opposed major surfaces of the pre-formed geotextile
mat after the mat has received the powdered or granular material,
to form an at least partially filled first geotextile layer; and
adhering a second pre-formed geotextile mat to the filled first
geotextile layer.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the second geotextile mat has
an apparent opening site in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 6
mm, and is at least partially filled with powdered or granular
material after adhering the second geotextile mat to the at least
partially filled first geotextile layer.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second geotextile mat is
unfilled.
26. The method of claim 24, further including the step of adhering
a liquid-permeable cover sheet to an exposed major surface of the
second geotextile mat.
27. The method of claim 25, further including the step of adhering
a liquid-permeable cover sheet to an exposed major surface of the
second geotextile mat.
28. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of adhering
a third pre-formed geotextile mat to an exposed cover sheet of the
second geotextile mat.
29. The method of claim 28, further including the steps of at least
partially filling the third pre-formed geotextile mat, having an
apparent opening size in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 6 mm,
with powdered or granular material, and securing a liquid-permeable
cover sheet to an exposed major surface of the third pre-formed
geotextile mat to form a geocomposite article having powdered or
granular material in the major, outer surfaces of the article, and
having an unfilled core formed by the second geotextile mat.
30. A method of confining an underwater contaminant contained in an
underwater soil comprising submerging the geosynthetic article of
claim 1 to the cover contaminant soil.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the geosynthetic article
includes a drainage structure disposed between the upper and lower
cover sheets.
32. The method of claim 30, wherein the geosynthetic article
contains a material selected from the group consisting of a
herbicide, a bactericidal material, and a tracer chemical or
colorant that indicates contact with a chemical or class of
chemicals.
33. A method of removing underwater contaminants comprising
covering the contaminants with a water-permeable geosynthetic
article that contains a contaminant-reactive material such that
contaminants contained in water that passes through the
geosynthetic article, will react with the contaminant-reactive
material for contaminant removal.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the geosynthetic article
comprises the article of claim 1.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to a reactive geocomposite
for controlling or preventing the further spread of contaminants in
soil or water. More particularly, the geocomposite described herein
includes a reactive core formed from a high loft geotextile that is
filled with a powdered or granular reactive material, such as
activated carbon, coke breeze, peat moss, polymeric ion exchange
resins, polymeric adsorbing resins; zero-valent iron, apatite,
organophilic clay, zeolite, diatomaceous earth or mixtures thereof
and having a liquid-permeable cover sheet attached to the upper and
lower major surfaces of the filled geotextile.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
[0002] The prior art is replete with methods and articles used to
confine or store a wide variety of environmental contaminants
ranging from completely capping, in-situ, contaminated sediments
that are left in-place in underwater environments; terrestrial
landfills wherein dredged or otherwise collected contaminated
sediments are placed within an engineered disposal site surrounded
with an impervious liner system and capped with an impervious
material; and the use of a reactive mat and/or reactive backfill
that surrounds the contaminated material. Examples of reactive mats
are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,681 B1 ('681) and published
application U.S. 2002/0151241 A1 ('241). The reactive mats
described in these two publications include one or more layers of
reactive material each surrounded by geotextiles that allow
contaminated liquid to pass through the reactive mat for sorption
or reaction of the contaminate with a reactive material contained
between the geotextile layers, and in the case of the '241
published application, the mat may be deployed vertically.
[0003] One of the major problems encountered with the use of
reactive mats for controlling or confining contaminated materials,
or in controlling or preventing leaching of contaminants from
sediments and preventing the contaminants from entering ground
water supplies or from traversing through a lake or ocean soil
interface into the lake or ocean, is in the ability to provide a
transportable mat having a sufficient volume or thickness of
reactive material so that the mat provides very long term
protection without the necessity of periodic replacement. The
reactive mats described in the '681 patent and in the '241
publication provide alternating layers of geotextile/reactive
material/geotextile/reactive material since a sufficient thickness
of reactive material cannot be provided in a single reactive
material core layer without that reactive material being lost
during transportation or installation.
[0004] This assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,237,945 ('945) and
5,389,166 ('166) describe the manufacture of a water barrier formed
from a clay-fiber mat that may include, intermixed with a powdered
or granular bentonite clay, a powdered or granular
liquid-interacting material, e.g., a contaminant-reactant, or
providing the contaminant-reactant as a separate layer in the water
barrier product. The water barrier mat formed in accordance with
the '945 and '166 patents is manufactured by laying down
geosynthetic fibers and the water swellable clay, with or without
the contaminant-reactant material, simultaneously. In this manner,
a geosynthetic composite material can be manufactured wherein the
geosynthetic fibers are surrounded by the water-swellable clay,
with or without the contaminant-reactant material, in initially
forming a relatively thick geotextile. Such a mat must be
subsequently consolidated after the initial formation of the
mixture of powdered or granular material and fibers in an attempt
to secure the fibers in position surrounding the powdered or
granular material. The following problems may be encountered with
filled mats manufactured by simultaneously mixing individual fibers
together with powdered or granular materials in accordance with
this assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,237,945 and 5,389,166:
[0005] (1) Because interior fibers within the geotextile are not
secured to adjacent fibers, particularly in thick mats, there would
be lateral movement of powdered or granular material within the
mat, particularly at the center of the mat thickness; (2) Any
reactive materials that have a relatively high hardness, e.g., coke
breeze, will prevent needle-punching as a means to consolidate the
mats described in the '945 and '166 patents, since the hard
materials will cause needle breakage and frequent replacement of
worn needles; (3) Needle-punching as a means to consolidate the
'945 and'166 mats is limited to relatively thin mats, e.g., less
than 1 inch or 2.54 cm (25.4 mm), since fibers are too short to
traverse the thickness of thicker mats for effective connection;
and (4) Because of the shifting of fibers and powdered or granular
material during manufacture of the '945 and '166 mats, the powdered
or granular material will not be placed within the mat in a
consistent quantity (weight per unit volume) and, therefore, will
not provide consistent contaminant reaction, contaminant sorption,
or contaminant neutralization per unit area. Another issue with the
'945 and '166 mats is that when water swellable sodium bentonite
clay is utilized, with or without the reactive material, when the
sodium bentonite clay swells, the resulting swell pressure
restricts the aqueous flow through the mat.
SUMMARY
[0006] In brief, described herein are reactive geocomposite mats,
and their method of manufacture, for controlling contaminants in
soil or water that allow the passage of essentially
non-contaminated water therethrough. The geocomposite mat includes
a pre-formed woven or non-woven geotextile, having a thickness of
about 6 mm to about 200 mm, preferably about 10 mm to about 100 mm,
and having a porosity sufficient to receive a powdered or granular
contaminant-reactive material, contaminant-sorptive material, or a
contaminant-neutralizing material (hereinafter collectively
referred to as "contaminant-reactant material" or
"contaminant-reactive material") throughout its thickness, or in
any portion of the thickness, across its entire major surface(s).
The powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material is disposed
within the pores of the previously formed, high loft geotextile mat
to surround the fibers, e.g., by vacuum suction or by vibrating the
high loft mat while in contact with the contaminant-reactive
material to allow the powdered or granular contaminant-reactive
material to flow, by gravity and vibrational forces, into the pores
of the previously formed geotextile. Liquid-permeable cover sheets
are adhered to the upper and lower major surfaces of the filled
geotextile to prevent the powdered or granular material from
escaping from the geotextile during transportation and
installation. Optionally, the edges of the filled geotextile can be
sealed, such as by providing the upper and lower cover sheets
slightly larger than the dimensions of the geotextile and gluing
the extra cover sheet material to the edges of the filled
geotextile or heat sealing them together. Other edge sealing
options include sewing, needlepunching, and ultrasonic welding of
the cover sheets together or by applying a separate, edge-covering
material that can be glued, heat sealed or ultrasonically welded to
the cover sheets. Edge sealing materials may be liquid-impermeable
or liquid-permeable.
[0007] Suitable powdered or granular contaminant-reactive materials
include organophilic clay, activated carbon, coke breeze,
zero-valent iron, apatite, zeolite, peat moss, polymeric ion
exchange resins, polymeric adsorbents and mixtures thereof. If the
contaminant-reactive material is lighter than water, where the
reactive mat is intended for sub-aqueous disposition, such as
activated coke breeze, the geotextile fibers will be a material
that his heavier than water, such as a polyester. Any geosynthetic
fibers may be used where the reactive material is heavier than
water, such as polyolefins, e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene and
copolymers thereof; rayon; polyesters; nylon; acrylic polymers and
copolymers; polyamides; polyamide copolymers; polyurethanes, and
the like.
[0008] The method of manufacture permits the manufacture of a
geocomposite article that includes a contaminant-reactant material
that is structurally secure, without lateral movement, and contains
contaminant-reactant material uniformly disposed throughout the
thickness, or throughout a desired upper and/or lower portion of
the thickness of the geocomposite. The geocomposite can be
manufactured to provide either a flexible or a rigid geocomposite
material, and permits the manufacture of various modified
geocomposites; geocomposite articles that include a
contaminant-reactant material, such as a zeolite or an organophilic
clay with or without a water-absorbent material for treatment of
contaminants in water, in an organic liquid, or in a mixture of
water and an organic liquid; a minimum of leakage of powdered or
granular materials held by the pre-formed mat; the application of
layer(s) of liquid-permeable films or sheets of material over both
major surfaces of the article to confine the granular or powdered
material in place within the pre-formed geotextile; the application
of solid or liquid adhesive materials or compositions to one or
both major surfaces and/or to any of the edges of the geocomposite
article for complete retention of essentially all powdered and/or
granular materials; the capability of inserting one or more
rigidifying materials into, or onto, the geocomposite article
during manufacture, such as a sheet of perforated fiberglass; rope;
cardboard; relatively rigid, liquid-permeable corrugated materials,
e.g., corrugated cardboard, and the like at some point at or
between the top and bottom major surfaces of the geocomposite
article to provide various degrees of flexibility or rigidity; the
capability of manufacturing the geocomposite articles without the
necessity of a consolidation step; and providing various sizes,
shapes and weights of pre-formed, high loft geotextiles to achieve
the benefits of each. If a water-absorbent, water-swellable
material, such as sodium bentonite is included with the
contaminant-reactive material, it should be included in an amount
less than about 20 lb/ft.sup.3, preferably 0 to about 10
lb/ft.sup.3, more preferably 0 to about 5 lb/ft.sup.3 so that, upon
swelling, it does not prevent the flow of contaminated water
through the geocomposite mat.
[0009] The contaminant-reactant material can be withheld from an
upper or lower major surface of the high loft geotextile, if
desired, to provide a space or area for the contaminant-reactant
material to expand upon reaction or sorption with, or
neutralization of the contaminants; or to provide areas for the
addition of other powdered or granular materials, such as an
organophilic clay, a zeolite or other contaminant-treating
material. For example, the contaminant-reactant material can be
omitted throughout a predetermined thickness at the top major
surface or the bottom major surface. Alternatively, a powdered or
granular water-swellable clay material can be applied in a
relatively high concentration at or near the edges of the
geocomposite article adjacent to one or both major surfaces to
permit the contaminant-reactant material layer to extrude through a
water-permeable cover layer to a planar edge surface immediately
above and/or below one or both exterior major surfaces, thereby
creating a sealing layer of contaminant-reactant material capable
of sealing at overlaps and seams between adjacent or overlapping
geocomposite articles.
[0010] As shown in FIG. 6, it is preferred to seal the edges 193 of
the filled geocomposite articles 10 by providing excess cover
material 192 and/or 194 in an amount sufficient so that one or both
of the cover layers 192 and/or 194 can be overlapped and adhered
together, at or above the edge 193, via an adhesive, thermal
bonding (heat-sealing), needle punching, or sonic welding.
[0011] Accordingly, one aspect of the geocomposite articles
described herein is to provide a new and improved article of
manufacture and method of making the article by incorporating a
powdered or granular contaminant-reactant material into a high
loft, pre-formed mat of interconnected, geotextile fibers.
[0012] A further aspect of the geocomposite articles described
herein is to provide a new and improved article of manufacture
including a powdered or granular contaminant-reactant or
contaminant-interacting material, wherein the material is selected
from the group consisting of an organophilic clay, a zeolite, a
contaminant-absorbent, a contaminant-adsorbent, an ion-exchange
material, a contaminant-reactant, a contaminant-neutralizing
material, and mixtures thereof as separately applied or intermixed
material. The powdered or granular materials may be applied as an
admixture, or applied sequentially within a pre-formed textile mat
having a sufficient apparent opening size, e.g., about 0.5 to about
6 mm, preferably about 1 mm to about 4 mm, to receive the powdered
or granular material in an amount of at least about 10 lb/ft.sup.3
up to about 150 lb/ft.sup.3, preferably about 30 lb/ft.sup.3 to
about 100 lb/ft.sup.3, throughout the thickness, or throughout any
upper or lower portion of the thickness of the pre-formed mat.
Preferably, the powdered and/or granular material will occupy about
50% to about 99.9% by volume of the pre-formed geotextile mat, more
preferably about 80% to about 99.9% of the pre-formed mat.
[0013] The above and other aspects and advantages of the
geocomposite articles and their method of manufacture will become
apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIGS. 1 and 3 are partially broken-away, schematic views of
alternate methods of manufacture and apparatus used to make the
geocomposite articles described herein;
[0015] FIG. 2a is an enlarged, partially broken-away side view of a
reactive geocomposite article formed with upper and lower layers of
powdered or granular contaminant-reactant material;
[0016] FIG. 2b is an enlarged, partially broken-away side view of a
reactive geocomposite article of that has been filled with a
powdered or granular contaminant-reactant material, such as an
organophillic clay, over the entire thickness of the mat;
[0017] FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are enlarged, broken-away side views of
articles manufactured as described herein that include intermediate
liquid-permeable sheets or nets of strengthening materials and
include a powdered or granular contaminant-reactant material in
only a portion of the thickness of the article;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the geocomposite
article described herein oriented vertically, adjacent to a
sea/soil interface, for sorbing contaminants, e.g., hydrocarbons
from a petroleum fraction, that leach through soil and travel
through the sea/soil interface, into the sea, to prevent the
contaminants from traversing the sea/soil interface; and
[0019] FIG. 6 is a partially broken-away side view of an edge of
the geocomposite article having excess material from upper and
lower cover sheets adhered together, either adhesively, by
heat-sealing, or by ultrasonic welding, to seal the edges of the
article.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic diagram
for manufacturing the geocomposite articles 10 described herein,
including many optional features any one or more of which can be
included in the manufacturing process to provide various
characteristics and properties to the geocomposite articles.
[0021] The geocomposite article 10 is manufactured to include a
layer of woven or non-woven liquid-permeable sheet material 12 and
14 on both major exterior surfaces; various reinforcing material
can be included within the interior and/or exterior of the article
to provide structural reinforcement or to provide various degrees
of article rigidity; portions of the high loft geotextile 15, along
its upper and/or lower major surfaces can be left with low
concentrations of, or without, a powdered or granular material so
that a portion of the article is very porous to allow for venting
of gases captured by the article from below; and powdered or
granular materials such as a contaminant (organic) reactant
absorbent or adsorbent, and, optionally a water-absorbent material,
such as bentonite clay can be intermixed with the
contaminant-reactant material(s) 16 being deposited onto the
pre-formed, high loft geotextile 15. Any of these features can be
used alone or together with any of the other features, as best
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, to provide very unique geocomposite
articles having any number of different properties and the
capability of containing the spread of contaminants.
[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, there is illustrated a method and
apparatus, including a number of optional features each of which
can be used alone or in combination with any of the other features
for manufacturing a product having single or plurality of different
granular or powdered contaminant-reactant materials, and with or
without various reinforcing materials and/or coating materials
added to one or both exterior surfaces of the article being
manufactured to provide various characteristics or properties to
the finished geocomposite article 10, as will be described in more
detail hereinafter. The apparatus generally includes a conveyor
belt 17 that travels continuously around a pair of rollers 18 and
20, at least one of which is motor driven at a desired speed; and
one or more contaminant-reactant feeding devices, generally
designated by reference numerals 22 and 24.
[0023] The liquid-permeable sheet material layers 12 and 14, used
to prevent loss of the powdered or granular material during
transportation and installation, are applied to the upper and lower
major surfaces of the pre-formed, high loft geotextile after
loading the geotextile 15 with contaminant-reactant material. The
preferred method of manufacture is to first adhere the lower liquid
permeable sheet material 12 to the high loft geotextile 15 then
fill the high loft geotextile 15 with the powdered or granular
material, followed by adhering the upper, liquid-permeable sheet
material 14 to the high loft geotextile containing the powdered or
granular material. In one embodiment, the powdered or granular
material 16 penetrates the high loft geotextile 15 by vibrating the
geotextile 15 with vibrator 140. Alternatively, vacuum can be
applied under the geotextile 15.
[0024] Additional contaminant-reactant material in granular or
powdered form can be applied to the filled geotextile 15 from
feeding conduit 24 to provide one or more surface concentrations of
contaminant-reactant material or to apply a different powdered or
granular contaminant-reactant, prior to applying the
water-permeable cover layers 12 and 14. Upper and lower major
surfaces then are covered with the water-permeable, preferably
non-woven, cover layers 12 and 14, from rolls 28 and 30, that are
preferably adhered to the major surfaces of the geotextile 15 using
a water-insoluble adhesive, applied from adhesive supply vessels 32
and 34.
[0025] Additionally, slicing or searing devices 36 and/or 38 can be
provided above and/or below the article to provide extrudability to
the contaminant-reactant material from the article, e.g., for
sealing a plurality of the geocomposite articles at overlaps. The
slicing or searing devices 36 and/or 38 can be used to slice and/or
sear one or both of the cover layers 12 and/or 14, at any point
during the manufacture of the article 10, for improved extrusion to
provide seam and/or overlap sealing of adjacent articles, or the
slicing step can be bypassed. The finished article 10 can be
collected in a roll form 40 taken up on a suitable mandrel 42 or
can be festooned onto pallets (not shown) or the like.
[0026] FIG. 2a shows high loft geotextile mat 15 filled only on
upper and lower major surfaces with the powdered or granular
material 16. FIG. 2b shows the high loft geotextile mat 15 filled
with a powdered or granular material 16 incorporated throughout the
geotextile mat 15.
[0027] Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic diagram of
one method of loading the pre-formed, high loft geotextile mat 115
with powdered or granular contaminant-reactant material in a dry
state. The dry material feeding apparatus, generally designated by
reference numeral 100 is useful for depositing one or more powdered
or granular contaminant-reactant materials, such as an
organophillic clay, from a receiving hopper 102. An auger 104 is
disposed at a lower end of the receiving hopper 102, and in fluid
communication therewith, to force the contaminant-reactant material
through conduit 106 to an inlet 108 of elevator 110. The
contaminant-reactant is discharged from the elevator 110 at
elevator outlet opening 112, through conduit 114 into a receiving
hopper 116. A pair of augers 118 and 120 in fluid communication
with a lower portion of hopper 116 force the contaminant-reactant
into one, two or three feeding mechanisms, generally designated by
reference numerals 122, 124 and 126, for feeding the
contaminant-reactant material in a controlled manner to one, two or
three continuous feed conveyor belts 128, 130 and 132 successively
aligned above an elongated product conveyor belt 134. The
contaminant-reactant generally is applied over the high loft,
geotextile mat 115 to substantially fill the void spaces between
fibers in the high loft, geotextile mat 115 in an amount of about
1/4 to 30 pounds of powdered or granular material per square foot
of finished article major surface area, preferably about 1/4 to
about 5 pounds of powdered or granular material per square foot of
article major surface area. In accordance with one embodiment, a
supply of a liquid-permeable flexible sheet material 136 in roll
form 138 is disposed above the continuous product conveyor belt 134
to provide a continuous supply of liquid-permeable flexible sheet
material onto an upper surface of the product conveyor belt 134.
The upper surface of sheet material 136 from roll 138 is sprayed
with liquid adhesive from adhesive vessel 139 to adhere the sheet
material to an under surface of the high loft geotextile 115, and
the geotextile 115 then is filled with the powdered or granular
material, from one or more of the feeding mechanisms 122, 124
and/or 126, deposited onto the geotextile 115 from one, two or all
three of the feed conveyor belts 128, 130 and 132. Any one, two or
all three of the feed conveyor belts 228, 230 and 232 can be used
to incorporate the same or different powdered or granular
contaminant-reactant materials throughout a portion of, or the
entire thickness of the geotextile 115. Vibration apparatus 140 is
connected to the product conveyor belt directly below the feed
conveyor belts 128, 130, and 132 to vibrate the powdered or
granular contaminant-reactant materials into the geotextile
115.
[0028] The individual powdered or granular materials are deposited
across the entire width of the geotextile mat 115, as the particles
drop from the feeders 122, 124 and/or 126. In this manner, the
entire thickness or any portion of the thickness of the fibrous mat
115 is filled with the contaminant-reactant material. Dust
collection suction devices 144, 146 and 148 may be disposed near
each continuous contaminant-reactant feed conveyor belt 128, 130
and 132 to clear the air of fine particles emanating from feeding
mechanisms 122, 124 and 126 and return the particles back to a dust
collector 167 for disposal and/or back to the receiving hopper 102,
via conduit 149. A second flexible, water-permeable sheet material
150, from roll 151, is disposed on a downstream side of the clay
feeding mechanisms 122, 124, and 126 and above the product conveyor
belt 134. The second flexible sheet material 150 is fed by power
driven roller 152, power rollers 154 and 156 and wind up rollers
158 and 160 to dispose flexible, water-permeable sheet material 150
on top of the contaminant-reactant-filled article to dispose the
filled geotextile material 115 between lower flexible sheet
material 136 and upper flexible sheet material 150. Adhesive vessel
161 applies adhesive to a surface of sheet material 150 to adhere
the sheet material 150 to an upper surface of the filled geotextile
115.
[0029] The powdered or granular contaminant-reactant material
utilized to fill the void spaces between the fibers of the high
loft, geotextile has a particle size in the range of about 1 to
about 400 mesh, preferably about 10 to about 200 mesh.
[0030] As shown in FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c, the articles of manufacture
generally designated by reference numerals 170, 180 and 190,
respectively, are manufactured to include a powdered or granular
material, such as an organophillic clay 16, incorporated into the
geotextile 15 throughout only a portion of the overall thickness
"t" of each article 170, 180 and 190. Each article 170, 180 and 190
is shown to include an upper sheet or netting 192 and a lower sheet
or netting 194 of liquid-permeable polymeric sheet material, rope,
netting, or other strengthening, or rigidifying materials, the same
or different, incorporated within the interior of the article
during manufacture in any desired combination. The article 170 of
FIG. 4a includes the powdered or granular material 16 incorporated
over a central portion of the article, defined between the two
internal sheet or netting materials 192 and 199. The article 180 of
FIG. 4b includes the powdered or granular material 16 in an upper
portion of the article, above sheet material 192, and under an
upper, liquid-permeable sheet material 195, as well as in a central
portion of the article 180, between sheet material 192 and sheet
material 194. The article 190 of FIG. 4c includes the powdered or
granular material 16 incorporated within a lower half of the
article 190, filling a lower portion of the article 190 between
sheet material 194, and lower, liquid-permeable sheet material 197,
and within a lower half of the central portion of article 190
between lower material 194 and upper material 192. Such materials
may be manufactured by adhesively securing multiple articles,
filled or unfilled, each filled portion being manufactured in
accordance with the description of FIGS. 1 and 3.
[0031] Some of the most prevalent contaminants found in waste
waters contained in ponds, lagoons, areas of subterranean structure
and other water-releasing or organic (hydrocarbon) spill areas,
particularly where these areas include industrial waste waters, are
heavy metal ions and water-insoluble or partially water-insoluble
organic materials. It is well known in the prior art that natural
and synthetic zeolites and ion exchange resins are capable of
removing a substantial portion of the heavy metal ions from a waste
water solution and that organophilic clays are capable of removing
water-insoluble organic materials from solution. However, the prior
art suggests that removal of these materials from waste water
streams should be done on-stream, treating the entirety of the
waste water stream in order to remove these materials, requiring
frequent replacement of treating materials because of the heavy
volumes of waste water stream that passes through the zeolites or
passes through the organophilic clays in order to clarify these
waste water streams. By including an organophilic clay, or applying
a mixture of water-swellable clay (not required) with a zeolite or
organophilic clay, to fill the voids between fibers of the high
loft geotextile 15 or 115, the zeolite and/or organophilic clay
will form a water-treatment material wherein the zeolite and/or
organophilic clay will remove the contaminants, e.g., hydrocarbon
contaminants, and allow the clean water to pass through the
geocomposite article 10.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the geocomposite articles 10 described
herein are particularly effective for vertical disposition adjacent
to a sea/soil interface 200 for protecting a lake or ocean 202
against hydrocarbon contaminants that otherwise leach through soil
204 and penetrate the sea/soil interface 200.
[0033] In accordance with another important embodiment of the
geocomposite articles described herein, the contaminant reactant
material, comprising any contaminant-adsorbent, -absorbent,
-reactant, or -neutralizing material can be supplied as a separate
layer adjacent to another powdered or granular contaminant-reactant
material so that the amount of material treated for the removal of
a given contaminant is only that material which penetrates the
adjacent layer of powdered or granular material.
[0034] In accordance with another important feature of the present
invention, the contaminant-reactant materials mixed or supplied as
separate layers can be any material capable of adsorbing,
absorbing, neutralizing, or reacting with the contaminant for
insolubilization and/or separation of the contaminant from the
liquid stream flowing through the reactive material. Examples of
materials capable of removing or neutralizing contaminants include
absorbent fibers, such as microcrystalline cellulose; attapulgite
clay; zinc rincinoleate absorbed on an absorbent fiber or other
absorbent material; amorphous silica powder; synthetic calcium
silicate; polyolefin pulp; sodium alumino-silicate (type A sodium
zeolite); maltodextran; sodium silica aluminates (note that all the
above are absorbents). Other materials, such as adsorbents include
microcrystalline cellulose; silica hydrogel based compositions;
attapulgites; synthetic sodium magnesium silicates; synthetic
calcium silicates; silicon dioxide; acid activated clays; type A
sodium zeolites; and the like provided as a separate layer or mixed
with the absorbents and/or adsorbents. Other materials can be
included such as an algicide, antimicrobial material, bactericide,
disinfectant, and/or fungicides such as phenol; zinc undecylenate
N.F.; acetyl tyridinium chloride N.F.X.III and the like.
[0035] Most preferred as the adsorbent, absorbent and/or reactant
and/or neutralizing material are coke breeze, activated carbon,
natural or synthetic zeolites, apatite, and/or an organophilic
clay, which is basically a montmorillonite clay that has been
reacted with a quaternary organic material to make it hydrophilic
and absorbent to organic contaminants.
[0036] The high loft geotextile mat 15 or 115 can be woven or
non-woven. Suitable fibers of construction of the geotextile mat 15
or 115 include fibers made from rayon, polypropylene, polyesters,
nylon, acrylic polymers and copolymers, ceramic fiber, fiberglass,
propylene-ethylene copolymers, polypropylene-polyamide copolymers,
a single monofilament, polyethylene, polyurethane, cotton, jute and
any other non-biodegradable, or very slowly biodegradable, fibers
preferably having both bacteriological and chemical resistance. In
some installations, the thickness of the article is not important
and such articles can be formed with any desired thickness, e.g., 3
mils to about 4 inches containing about 0.2 to about 30 pounds per
square foot of contaminant-reactant material.
[0037] The above-described products can be modified in a number of
ways to suit various purposes and this adaptability of the products
is one of the primary benefits when compared with water barriers of
the prior art. For example, the geocomposite products described
herein can be loaded with a heavy material such as metal screen, or
a heavy mineral such as Barite, iron oxide or the like, relatively
uniformly, together with a powdered or granular
contaminant-reactant so that the overall product has a specific
gravity greater than 1.0 thereby enabling the material to submerge
easily in water. Accordingly, the product can be applied to the
soil surface at the bottom of a filled lagoon, waste containment
area, and the like, without first draining the lagoon or waste
containment area. The product containing a heavy mineral can be
rolled out over the water or waste containment upper level and
allowed to sink to cover the soil surface at the bottom of the
water or liquid waste material, thereby saving substantial time,
effort and expense in sealing a pre-existing lagoon, waste
containment area, and the like, without first draining the lagoon
or waste containment area.
[0038] In another embodiment, the products described herein can
have incorporated therein a very light material such as expanded
vermiculite or expanded perlite, so that the product has
substantial buoyancy in water, liquid waste materials, and the
like, to form a cover over a liquid waste containment area, such as
a toxic waste lagoon, to prevent external compounds, dust, and dirt
from entering the waste containment area. One portion of this cover
material can be adapted for removal or rolling back so that
additional toxic waste and the like may be added to the covered
containment area while maintaining a water-impervious cover to
prevent further filling of the waste containment area with rain
water.
[0039] The products described herein can be essentially a single
non-woven fabric material, so that it can elongate, where
elongation is a desirable characteristic, while retaining the
desired contaminant-removal characteristics. Further, drainage
structures and other articles used in the water drainage arts can
be virtually incorporated into the interior of this product during
manufacture, e.g., under the upper and/or lower cover sheets.
Herbicides, bactericidal materials, tracer chemicals, various
colorants that indicate contact with a particular chemical or class
of chemicals, and the like, also can be incorporated into the
articles described herein.
[0040] The product is particularly effective in shored wall
conditions for application against steel sheet piling; soldier beam
and lagging; soldier beam and earth installations; concrete
caissons; earthen stabilized wall structures and diaphram wall
structures. In addition to the usual geotextile-type fibers,
cellulosic fibers can be used as well as hay, straw, coconut fibers
and fibers refined from wood chips and the like, particularly for
use as an agricultural root zone liner to provide liquid feed for
the promotion of plant growth. The products described herein are
also useful as gas barriers, particularly Radon gas barriers, to
protect structures and containers above or below ground. Many other
uses for the products of the present invention should be apparent
to those skilled in the art.
[0041] The uses for the powdered or granular material-filled or
partially-filled products described herein are virtually infinite
since the product can be made completely flexible, relatively rigid
or rigid and can be applied against very contoured and slopping
surfaces, rough or smooth, as well as vertical surfaces, such as
foundation walls, dams, along the sides of canals and below grades
such as in tank farms, and for irrigation and water conservation
techniques. The products are substantially better than layered
products having an intermediate layer of powdered or granular
material since the fabric of the present invention will not peel
apart and the contaminant-reactant material has much less tendency
to leak out of the product during handling and installation.
Further, there is essentially no slippage of fabric since the
product is, basically, a single non-woven fabric containing active
material(s).
[0042] The products have a number of other advantages over the
prior art layered products that include an upper and lower fabric
surrounding an interior layer of bentonite clay since the products
can be, essentially, a single fabric layer that is filled or
partially filled with any desired powdered or granular
contaminant-reactant material, while optionally including interior
space for absorption or expansion of an interior powdered or
granular material, such as a water-swellable clay. The products are
particularly well suited for providing contaminant-removal in
shored wall conditions to protect surface areas that are either
vertical, sloped or horizontal. The products are very durable
because of the method of manufacture, since strength is not
dependent upon any method of structurally securing two separate
fabric layers together across an intermediate layer of powdered or
granular material. Such prior art layered products are
significantly less durable than the products described herein
because of their tendency to separate as a result of shear forces
between top and bottom fabric layers, particularly where such
layered products are installed over vertical or slopping surface,
where shear forces are most prevalent.
* * * * *