PFAS, Geosynthetics, and Environmental Protection: How much do we know so far

The presentation will overview the current state of the practice on geosynthetic liners‐ poly and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) interaction.

It will highlight the importance of knowing the PFAS chemistry and the need to make a clear distinction between on‐site repositories and landfill applications, as the liners will be subjected to hugely different concentration loadings and dominating PFASs. Consequently, the selection of geosynthetic liner components needs to account for these differences and distinguish between the expected exposure conditions. Fate and migration of PFASs in geomembranes and geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) will be discussed with the presentation of some early results on GCLs.

About the speaker:

Malek Bouazza

Professor of Civil Engineering

Monash University

Dr A (Malek) Bouazza is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Monash University. He has an international reputation for research in Geosynthetics and Environmental Geotechnics. His research has been recognised by numerous national and international awards. Professor Bouazza is very prominent in technical and professional society activities and serves on several international technical committees. Currently, he is the Chair of the International Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) Technical Committee TC 215 on Environmental Geotechnics. In addition to his academic commitments, Dr Bouazza gives specialist advice for the industry nationally and internationally. His work has included peer review of design for numerous municipal solid waste and hazardous landfills and tailings storage facilities in Australia, Thailand, Peru, South Africa, and other countries. He has led and co‐wrote the geosynthetics liner guidelines of the landfill standard for the State of Victoria, Australia (Best Practice Environmental Management: Siting, design, operation and rehabilitation of landfills, EPA Publication 788), which is now used as a model for much of the country.