Suitability of Bauxite Residue as a Landfill Liner Material—An Overview

Bauxite residue (also known as red mud) is a by-product obtained during the production of alumina. The landfill liners are widely known as hydraulic barriers which attenuate the flow of leachate/contaminant migration into the groundwater. It is imperative to study the geotechnical engineering properties of the landfill liner and needs to be examined. This chapter reviews the use and application of bauxite residue as a landfill liner material. The geotechnical and environmental engineering properties of bauxite residue have been studied from the literature and its suitability has been assessed based on the criterion limits suggested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The engineering properties such as particle size distribution, compaction properties, hydraulic conductivity, strength, adsorption characteristics and leaching characteristics have been presented. Further, the suitability of bauxite residue to be used as a landfill liner with different additives and research needs also have been discussed. This review study suggests that bauxite residue could be a potential landfill liner material as it satisfies the criterion limits. However, the use of any bauxite residue should be evaluated individually on a case-by-case basis.