Moisture Retention Properties of Municipal Solid Waste in Relation to Compression

Guillaume Stoltz (1) , A.J. Tinet (1) , M.J. Staub (1) , L. Oxarango (2) , J.P. Gourc (2)

1 LTHE - Laboratoire d'étude des transferts en hydrologie et environnement
2 Transpore

Original laboratory setups are used to study the moisture retention properties of municipal solid waste taking into account the porous medium's structural evolution due to compression. A controlled suction oedometer allowed the moisture retention curves (MRCs) of compacted samples to be determined for both wetting and drainage with a matric suction range of 0 to 10 kPa. Another setup utilizing an extraction plate was used to determine a drainage MRC for a non‐compacted sample with matric suction varying from 0 to 450 kPa. The experimental results demonstrated the complexity of MSW porous medium compared to soil. The MRC of lightly and uncompacted samples did not exhibit a measurable air‐entry suction. Moreover, significant hysteresis between the wetting and drainage MRCs was observed. The experimental MRCs were interpreted with two different models, and a pore size distribution evolution with compression was proposed. Finally, the concept of field capacity in relation to the moisture retention properties is discussed.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Earth Sciences; Geomorphology

Guillaume Stoltz, A.J. Tinet, M.J. Staub, L. Oxarango, J.P. Gourc. Moisture Retention Properties of Municipal Solid Waste in Relation to Compression. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2011, ⟨10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000616⟩. ⟨insu-00649318⟩