The new applications for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in various fields and consequently their greater production volume have increased their potential release to the environment. Landfills are one of the major locations where carbon nanotubes are expected to be disposed and it is important to ensure that they can limit the release of CNTs. Diffusion of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in an aqueous media through a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane (as a part of the landfill barrier system) was examined. Based on the laboratory tests, the permeation coefficient was estimated to be less than 5.1×10-15 m2/s. The potential performance of a HDPE geomembrane and geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) as parts of a composite liner in containing MWCNTs was modelled for six different scenarios. The results suggest that the low value of permeation coefficient of an HDPE geomembrane makes it an effective diffusive barrier for MWCNTs and by keeping the geomembrane defects to minimum during the construction (e.g., number of holes and length of wrinkles) a composite liner commonly used in municipal solid waste landfills will effectively contain MWCNTs.

中文翻译：

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多壁碳纳米管通过高密度聚乙烯土工膜的扩散

碳纳米管 (CNT) 在各个领域的新应用及其更大的产量增加了它们向环境的潜在释放。垃圾填埋场是预计处置碳纳米管的主要地点之一，确保它们能够限制碳纳米管的释放非常重要。研究了分散在水性介质中的多壁碳纳米管 (MWCNT) 通过高密度聚乙烯 (HDPE) 土工膜（作为垃圾填埋场屏障系统的一部分）的扩散。根据实验室测试，渗透系数估计小于5.1×10-15 m2/s。HDPE 土工膜和土工合成粘土衬垫 (GCL) 作为复合衬垫的一部分在含有 MWCNT 中的潜在性能被建模为六种不同的情况。