Leachate recirculation in bioreactor landfills considering the effect of MSW settlement on hydraulic properties

During leachate recirculation, a bioreactor landfill will experience more rapid and complete settlement, which is mainly attributed to the weight of municipal solid waste (MSW) and its biodegradation. The settlement of MSW may cause the decrease of void ratio of MSW, which will influence the permeability of MSW and the leachate quantity that can be held in bioreactor landfills. In this study, a new one-dimensional model of leachate recirculation using infiltration pond is developed. The new method is not only capable of describing leachate flow considering the effect of MSW settlement, but also accounting separately leachate flow in saturated and unsaturated zones. Moreover, the effects of operating parameters are evaluated with a parametric study. The analyzing results show that the influence depth of leachate recirculation considering the effect of MSW settlement is smaller than the value without considering the effect. The influence depth and leachate recirculation volume increase with the increase of infiltration pond pressure head and MSW void ratio. This indicates that the field compaction of MSW has a great influence on the leachate recirculation.     

城市垃圾填埋场有机物降解沉降模型的研究

研究城市垃圾填埋场的有机物降解沉降是非常重要的,有机物的降解沉降是填埋场的主要沉降,并且降解沉降将持续很长一段时间,较大的沉降能够导致防渗系统的渗漏并损坏覆盖系统。由于垃圾的非均匀性,其土工特性随地域及时间而改变,所以,计算垃圾填埋场的降解沉降是比较困难的。在试验及理论推导的基础上,提出了一种有机物的降解沉降模型,该模型参数较少,利用该模型预测了天子岭垃圾填埋场的库容及有机物的降解沉降。     

Simulation of flow slides in municipal solid waste dumps using a modified MPS method

Flow slides in municipal solid waste (MSW) dumps have caused serious damage to structures and casualties all over the world. Therefore, much attention should be paid to this type of disaster to elucidate the flow mechanisms and fluidization characteristics of MSW, which are essential for the assessment and prevention of flowlike hazards. To bypass the deficiencies of the traditional analysis methods that use the mesh method and are based on a framework of solid mechanics, the moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method, which is a purely Lagrangian meshless method and proposed for incompressible flow, is introduced to study flow slides in MSW landfills. Considering the no-physical pressure fluctuation that affects the simulation accuracy in the original MPS, the original MPS is revised in three ways: the kernel function, the source term of the Poisson equation and the search for free surface particles. Two benchmark problems, the dam break problem and the static pressure problem, are computed to illustrate the improvement of the pressure stability of the modified MPS. The Bingham constitutive model combined with the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion is adopted to depict the dynamic features of MSW flow slides, and the equivalent viscosity is employed to bridge the gap between Bingham fluid models and Newtonian fluid models. This method, ultimately, is applied to simulate real flow slides in the Umraniye–Hekimbashi landfill and the Payatas waste dump. The numerical results show good consistency with the field data, indicating that the modified MPS method is capable of capturing the essential dynamic behavior and reproducing the entire process of complicated flow slides in MSW dumps.     

生活垃圾填埋过程中的沉降分析与计算

结合生活垃圾PTH蠕变方程式中的相关参数,依据重庆市长生桥垃圾卫生填埋场的填埋工艺和填埋方案,得出填埋历程与填埋高度的关系曲线。通过与土压缩理论计算方法相比较发现,土压缩理论中参数选取主要以经验为主,假设条件也与实际情况不符,而PTH蠕变模型中各参数均可由室内压缩蠕变试验得出,依据充分。计算表明,重庆市长生桥垃圾卫生填埋场在填埋过程中产生的沉降达25.72%,在容量估算中如果忽略这一数据则会对填埋场的经济性分析产生一定影响。     

Dynamic Properties of Municipal Solid Waste in Bioreactor Landfills with Degradation

Bioreactor landfills are operated to enhance refuse decomposition, gas production, and waste stabilization. The major aspect of bioreactor landfill operation is the recirculation of collected leachate back through the refuse mass. Due to the presence of additional leachate and accelerated decomposition, the characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in bioreactor landfills are expected to change. About 50% of the continental United States comes under the designated seismic impact zone. The federal regulations have focused increase attention on seismic design of solid waste fills, and have mandated that the solid waste landfills located in the seismic impact zones should be designed to resist the earthquake. Accordingly, assessment of dynamic properties of landfills is one of the major geotechnical tasks in landfill engineering. In order to understand the changes in dynamic properties of bioreactor waste mass with time and decomposition, four small scale bioreactor landfills were simulated in laboratory and samples were prepared to represent each phase of decomposition. The state of decomposition was quantified by methane yield, pH, and volatile organic content (VOC). A number of Resonant Column (RC) tests were performed to evaluate the dynamic properties (stiffness and damping) of MSW. The test results indicated that the normalized shear modulus reduction and damping curves are significantly affected by the degree of decomposition. The shear modulus increased from 2.11 MPa in Phase I to 12.56 MPa in Phase IV. The increase was attributed to the breakdown of fibrous nature of solid waste particles as it degrades. Therefore, considering MSW properties to be uniform throughout the bioreactor landfill is not a reasonable assumption and the shear modulus reduction curves should be evaluated based on the degree of MSW decomposition, rather than the sample composition itself.     

Modeling municipal solid waste landfill settlement

A good prediction of solid waste landfill settlement is important for landfill design and rehabilitation. A one-dimensional model which accounts for mechanical settlement and biodegradation processes is developed to simulate the settlement behavior of municipal solid waste landfill. The derivation of analytical solutions for specific conditions is introduced. The numerical approach, capable of coping with more general conditions, is also presented to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of landfill settlement. The proposed model can simulate typical features of short- and long-term landfill settlement behaviors. With proper selection of parameter values, field measurements are well simulated by this model. The effects of some design parameters on the settlement behavior of municipal solid waste landfills are also examined with the help of this model.     

Equivalent-linear seismic analyses of MSW landfills using DEEPSOIL

Responses of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills during earthquakes are gaining worldwide importance due to the devastating nature of earthquake on landfills. Apart from the post-earthquake safety and serviceability issues which pose environmental and public health problems, other important concerns are related to the behavior of closed landfills during and after earthquake. In present study, one dimensional (1-D) equivalent-linear analysis was carried out to model the behaviour of MSW landfills subjected to seismic base accelerations using the DEEPSOIL software. Influence of foundation types, height and stiffness of MSW landfills and seismic base accelerations on the seismic responses in terms of surface accelerations, normalized stresses (i.e., shear stress/effective vertical stress) and spectral amplification are evaluated. The results showed that height and stiffness of landfills, type of foundation and amount of seismic base acceleration and period play important role in evaluating the seismic responses of MSW landfills. Assumption of constant unit weight and shear wave velocity for landfills underestimates maximum horizontal acceleration (MHA), normalized shear stresses and spectral amplification at the top of landfills. Landfill models with smaller heights (up to 40 m high) showed higher amplification ratio for low seismic base accelerations with mean period near to that of soil and landfill resonance for all sites. A complex behavior was observed at higher seismic base accelerations due to non-linear behavior of landfill materials.     

Permeability of Municipal Solid Waste in Bioreactor Landfill with Degradation

Bioreactor landfills are operated for rapid stabilization of waste, increased landfill gas generation for cost-effective energy recovery, gain in landfill space, enhanced leachate treatment, and reduced post closure maintenance period. The fundamental process of waste stabilization in bioreactor landfill is recirculation of generated leachate back into the landfills. This creates a favorable environment for rapid microbial decomposition of the biodegradable solid waste. In order to better estimate the generated leachate and design of leachate recirculation system, clear understanding of the permeability of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) with degradation and the factors influencing the permeability is necessary. The objective of the paper is to determine the changes in hydraulic properties of MSW in bioreactor landfill with time and decomposition. Four small-scale bioreactor landfills were built in laboratory and samples were prepared to represent each phase of decomposition. Then, the changes in hydraulic properties of MSW in bioreactor landfill with time and decomposition were determined. A series of constant head permeability tests were performed on the samples generated in laboratory scale bioreactor landfills to determine variation of permeability of MSW with degradation. The test results indicated that the permeability of MSW in bioreactor landfills decreases with decomposition. Based on the test results, the permeability of MSW at the first phase of degradation was estimated as 0.0088 cm/s at density 700 kg/m³. However, with degradation, permeability decreased to 0.0013 cm/s at the same density, for MSW at Phase IV.     

A simplified analytical model for run-out prediction of flow slides in municipal solid waste landfills

Flow slides in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are common geoenvironmental issues in the urban environment and can pose a serious threat to the surrounding population and infrastructure. Prediction of the maximum run-out distance of flow slides in MSW landfills is therefore an essential part of hazard and risk assessment in engineering design. Based on the framework for simple analysis originally developed by Hungr (1995), we propose a simplified analytical model for calculating dam breaks in a plastic fluid along a single inclined base. In the proposed model, a quarter-elliptical shape is used to describe the approximate configuration of the flow slide. Following this step, the physical laws relating to the conservation of mass and energy are used to calculate the potential flow. Of additional note is a boundary condition in mathematics relating to this simplified analytical model, which is also reported in this study. Taking the obvious mobility characteristics of the MSW at point of failure into consideration, a three-phase simplified model along double inclined bases has been further developed for run-out prediction of the flow slide in MSW landfill. The proposed three-phase model is then applied to estimate the maximum run-out distance of two typical flow failures of landfills located in Sarajevo and Bandung, which demonstrate the capability of the proposed simplified analytical model for use in hazard assessments of landfills.     

Stability Analyses of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills with Decomposition

A bioreactor landfill is operated to enhance refuse decomposition, gas production, and waste stabilization. Some of the potential advantages of bioreactor include rapid stabilization of waste, increased landfill gas generation, gain in landfill space, enhanced leachate treatment, and reduced post closure maintenance period. Due to the accelerated decomposition and settlement of solid waste, bioreactor landfills are gaining popularity as an alternative to the conventional Subtitle D landfills. However, the addition of leachate to accelerate the decomposition changes the physical and engineering characteristic of waste and therefore affects the geotechnical characteristics of waste mass. The changes in the physical and mechanical characteristics of solid waste with time and decomposition are expected to affect the shear strength of waste mass. The objective of this paper is to analyze the stability of solid waste slopes within the bioreactor landfills, as a function of time and decomposition. The finite element program PLAXIS is used for numerical modeling of bioreactor landfills. Stability analysis of bioreactor landfills was also performed using limit equilibrium program STABL. Finally the results from finite element program PLAXIS and limit equilibrium program STABL are compared. GSTABL predicted a factor of safety of more than 1 in all the cases analyzed, whereas PLAXIS predicted a factor of safety of less than 1 at advanced stages for a slope of 2:1. However, the interface failures between solid waste and landfill liners have not been considered in this paper.     

Numerical simulation on the cracking and failure law of compacted clay lining in landfill closure cover system

According to the mass conservation equation of solid phase, water transport, air migration and enthalpy balance equations in a deformable and unsaturated porous medium, and the mechanics model, a thermal‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) coupling mathematical model is developed in order to accurately predict the crack propagation of the compacted clay lining (CCL) in a landfill closure cover system. Numerical simulation analysis of the cracking and failure of the CCL in a landfill closure cover system under complex conditions (landfill gas pressure, variation of soil surface temperature, moisture loss of coverage soil, and uneven settlement of landfilled MSW (municipal solid waste)) is performed. The results show that the cracks are discovered firstly on the soil surface and then extend to the deeper cover system and became bigger. The cracks had broken through the closure cover system at 30 days. Over the depth range of 0.06 m, the change rate of settlement is found to be the highest because of the strong influence of temperature. The rise of temperature around the cracks is fast when the CCL is broken through by the cracks. There is a hollow area near the cracks over the depth range from 0.15 to 0.7 m, and the temperature stabilize at around 11°C without any obvious reduction. Under the condition of evaporation, the main crack in the CCL is similar to a pumping well, which causes more rapid moisture content reduction around the cracks. Vertical deformation increases linearly with depth in the process of deformation and cracking of CCL induced by uneven settlement of landfilled MSW. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison study of methane emissions from landfills with different landfill covers

Atmospheric methane, a more effective heat-trapping gas than CO₂ that may affect climate change, has its greatest man-made source in the US from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Consequently, the wise management of landfills can reduce these greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Methane from modern MSW landfills built with composite covers is frequently vented directly to the atmosphere. Biofiltration of landfill gas could oxidize CH₄ to CO₂ and water. Methane oxidation in old landfills with conventional soil covers can be effective in reducing the amount of CH₄ emitted. In this study, comparison of methane emissions from three different landfill covers was conducted. Methane emissions from old landfills constructed with conventional soil covers, modern MSW landfills constructed with composite covers, and modern MSW landfills constructed with composite covers plus biofilters were calculated using the calculated CH₄ oxidation rates. The results showed that an average of only 14% of the generated CH₄ was emitted from landfills with modern composite covers plus biofilters, and an average of 85% of the generated CH₄ was emitted from landfills with conventional covers when 100% of the generated CH₄ emissions to the atmosphere from landfills with modern composite covers was assumed. By comparing the CH₄ emission rates from three different landfill types, the use of a properly sized biofilter should be an effective technique to reduce CH₄ emissions from landfills across the USA and potentially in many other areas of the world.     

城市垃圾填埋场甲烷资源量与利用前景

垃圾填埋气的主要成分为CH4、CO2等气体,可严重污染大气、地下水和生态环境,并对全球气候变暖产生一定的影响;同时填埋气也是一种清洁可再生能源和资源,回收和利用垃圾填埋气可实现环境、安全、能源、资源、经济多重效益。目前,垃圾填埋气的利用主要为甲烷利用。本文介绍了填埋气中甲烷资源量的计算方法,采用一阶动力模型对国内城市垃圾填埋气中的甲烷排放量进行了计算和预测,获得了城市生活垃圾填埋气中甲烷的资源量的范围,并分析了国内垃圾填埋气排放的特点和趋势以及国内外对填埋气利用的途径、方法及效果。结合清洁发展机制（CDM）项目和国情分析了垃圾填埋气的利用前景,并提出了填埋气回收利用的主要问题和建议,为国内城市生活垃圾填埋气的利用提供了有益参考。     

垃圾土一维压缩修正公式及有机物降解验证试验研究

针对垃圾填埋场沉降计算问题,考虑垃圾土中有机物降解及对降解过程中重度变化,在张振营压缩量计算方法的基础上推导了垃圾土一维压缩计算的修正公式;通过垃圾土有机物降解试验和计算分析,研究了有机物的降解规律;以相同配比的垃圾土进行了垃圾土柱的沉降和计算参数试验,对推导的垃圾土一维压缩计算修正公式进行了验证。研究表明,修正的计算公式能考虑更多的影响因素,有机物的降解规律可以用Richards生物生长规律来模拟,修正的计算公式能够合理地计算出垃圾土沉降的过程。     

填埋场粘土类防渗系统研究进展

作为防止污染物扩散的防渗系统是填埋场中最重要的部分之一。在总结国内外众多有关填埋场粘性土防渗系统研究成果的基础上,阐述了粘土类防渗系统的工作机理;从粘性土阻滞特性、污染物运移、改性与替代材料以及防渗系统设计等4个方面综述了粘土类防渗系统研究的最新进展;并据此认为,非饱和渗透特性、吸附效应及基于吸附－扩散效应的设计方法等将成为今后填埋场粘性土防渗系统研究的主要问题。     

城市固体废弃物本构模型的研究现状及展望

城市固体废弃物(MSW)是由多种无机和有机成分组成的复合材料,具有高压缩性和可降解性。随着时间的变化,基本的物理力学特性发生变化,与传统土体相比,性质差异较大。城市固体废弃物的本构模型对于垃圾填埋场中土工问题的研究极其重要,考虑不同因素的影响,系统总结了国内外一些学者对MSW本构模型的研究现状,指出已有的研究成果主要考虑了荷载引起的瞬时变形、机械蠕变、生物降解、纤维物质的加筋作用等,但这些都是考虑单个因素或者将几个因素简单叠加的本构模型,并未考虑不同因素的耦合作用。结合土体本构模型的发展特点,指出了今后城市固体废弃物本构模型的研究方向和发展趋势：应当综合考虑各种因素对MSW应力-应变关系的影响,从工程实践出发,通过岩土工程、环境工程、化学工程和生物工程等学科的交叉寻求突破,形成考虑生化反应-骨架变形-水气运移-溶质迁移耦合作用的理论框架。     

Validation of Hyperbolic Model by the Results of Triaxial and Direct Shear Tests of Municipal Solid Waste

The increasing demand of engineering landfills requires that designers propose a framework for landfill design, construction, repair and maintenance. As municipal solid waste (MSW) is a major part of a landfill, the analysis should consider MSW mechanical behavior using a constitutive model. To investigate this, 18 direct shear (DS) and triaxial (TX) tests were conducted on MSW samples with different fiber contents. Different shearing mechanisms lead to understand effects of fibers on stress–strain response. Based on obtained results the hyperbolic model Duncan and Chang (J Soil Mech Found Div 96(5):1629–1653, 1970) has been employed to simulate the TX results indicating the ability of the model to predict stress–strain behavior of MSW. This model could also be employed to the DS test results with some assumptions. The model can capture DS stress–strain response well whereas for TX tests the predictions were just enough. The experimental results and two sets of proposed MSW parameters of hyperbolic model have been compared and discussed.     

A model for gas pressure in layered landfills with horizontal gas collection systems

The recovery and emission of landfill gas (LFG) is an important topic in landfill management. To produce an effective engineering design for an LFG collection system, designers must understand the migration of gas from the waste body to horizontal extraction wells. This paper develops a two-dimensional analytical solution to enable the study of the gas pressure distribution, well pressure and recovery efficiency in layered landfills with horizontal wells. A horizontal layered structure is used to accommodate the non-homogeneity of various municipal solid waste (MSW) aspects with respect to depth, including gas generation, permeability and temperature. The governing equations, subject to boundary and continuity conditions, are solved by using separation of variables and double finite integral transforms. The solution was verified against another analytical solution and a numerical simulation. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis of single-well model parameters is performed to optimize a double-well system. The results show that a landfill with horizontal collection systems cannot be assumed to be one dimensional with increasing well spacing. Additionally, both the operational vacuum and maximum gas pressure can be reduced through the design of a double- or multiple-well system. Therefore, the proposed solution can be used for the verification of more complex models and the preliminary design of a horizontal well system.     

Slope stability of bioreactor landfills during leachate injection: Effects of geometric configurations of horizontal trench systems

In bioreactor landfills, different configurations of closely spaced horizontal trench (HT) systems are often considered as leachate recirculation systems to achieve uniform and rapid distribution of moisture in municipal solid waste (MSW). In this study, a numerical two-phase flow modelling was adopted to study the effects of geometric configuration of HT systems on the moisture distribution in MSW, and the stability of a simplified bioreactor landfill slope during continuous and intermittent leachate recirculation. Transient variations in pore water and capillary pressures in MSW were assessed, and slope stability analyses were performed using strength reduction technique. MSW was considered as heterogeneous and anisotropic with varied unit weight and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The results demonstrated that geometric configurations of HT systems significantly affected the moisture distribution, generation and distribution of pore water and capillary pressures in MSW, and considerably influenced the mechanical stability of bioreactor landfill slope. It was concluded that staggered configuration of closely spaced HT systems with intermittent sequences of leachate recirculation and subsequent gravity drainage in alternate shallow and deep HT layers should be adopted as they produce uniform moisture distribution and ensure the mechanical stability of landfill slope due to low induced pore pressures near side slope. Overall, this study presents a significant contribution to the understanding of the basic mechanisms controlling the geotechnical stability of bioreactor landfills during leachate operations. Furthermore, the capability of the adopted commercial code was verified with complexities related to bioreactors behaviour. However, further research is needed to validate the model based on field monitoring data at actual bioreactor landfills.     

Design of drainage blankets for leachate recirculation in bioreactor landfills using two-phase flow modeling

Drainage blankets (DB) are used for leachate recirculation in bioreactor landfills and consist of highly permeable material placed over a large area of the landfill with the leachate injection pipe embedded in the material at specified locations. DBs are generally installed at different depth levels during the waste filling operations. Very limited information is reported on performance of DBs, and that which exists is based on a small number of field monitoring and modeling studies. A rational method for the design of landfills using DBs has not been developed. This study performs a parametric analysis based on a validated two-phase flow model and presents design charts to guide the design of DBs for given hydraulic properties of MSW, the leachate injection rate and the dimensions and locations of the DB as measured from the leachate collection and recirculation system (LCRS) located at the bottom of the landfill cell. Numerical simulations were performed for the two established MSW conditions: homogeneous–isotropic and heterogeneous–anisotropic waste. The optimal levels of leachate saturation, wetted width, wetted area and developed pore water and pore gas pressures were determined, and design charts using the normalized parameters were developed. An example is presented on the use of design charts for typical field application.