Scholarly record
METHODOLOGY FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL WASTE LANDFILL BIOGAS RECOVERY
Abstract
Although the majority of the EU countries explore controlled waste management landfill sites for alternative electrical and thermal energy resources it has been found that some of these infrastructures exhibit several instability situations and environmental problems due to lack of landfill maintenance or inadequate waste separation, which may result in post closure inefficient biogas exploration or in reduction of potential landfill mining [1; 2]. In Portugal, there are presently several landfills in exploitation and among them just a few have biogas production. According to some authors [3] the optimum moisture content for enhancing microorganismпїЅs degradation activity of organic matter varies between 50% and 60% being however that, in some cases high rates of waste decomposition with much lower humidity levels were observed. To enhance the biogas recovery conditions of a municipal solid waste landfill (Amarsul Ecopark Municipal System) it is presented an approach that allowed the spatial zoning of the humidification conditions and organic matter content of the MSW landfill in order to enhance the biogas production by improving local optimum humidity conditions [4]. To meet the objectives a three step methodology was followed: Step 1 пїЅ MSW sampling and assessment of landfill saturation; Step 2 пїЅ MSW characterization; Step 3 пїЅ Modeling of the landfill biogas conditions. Step 1, enclosed 3 field survey campaigns: a geophysical survey to assess the internal saturation condition of the landfill, which was validated with data from a biogas leachate monitoring campaign. In order to characterize and quantify the proportion and typology of the MSW, six drillings were performed, and MSW samples collected for all the crossed waste media. Waste materials were classified into 10 categories, depending on typology, composition and source. Based on the proportion of the waste categories observed on each strata a new log design is proposed to represent the composition of the drilled boreholes. Step 2, consisted on laboratorial tests to quantify the organic matter (OM) and moisture content of the MSW. Representative samples of each drilled core were collected based on the homogeneity/heterogeneity of the waste strata. Step 3, corresponds to the statistical analysis of the biogas waste properties (MO, type of waste and moisture content) and spatial modeling of the landfill potential conditions for biogas production. With this approach it was possible to identify the areas with the highest or the lowest conditions for biogas production inside the landfill. The areas were classified in three classes of favorability: Class 1 - favorable conditions (with highest OM and moisture content); Class 2 - moderately favorable (with high OM and low moisture content); Classe 3 пїЅ Not favorable (with low OM and lowest moister content). Since water injection into the waste dump is possible, areas with high OM content, have biogas generation potential, as long as the moisture content is increased. The methodology was applied to municipal waste landfill with about 20 yearпїЅs age, managed by Amarsul, a Multi-Municipal solid waste management and treatment system, located in the Municipality of Seixal, near Lisbon in Portugal [4].
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References15
Pires, A.; Martinho, (2007) - Potential of Landfill Mining in Portugal. Proceedings Sardinia 2007, Eleventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy; by CISA, Environmental Sanitary Engineering Centre, Italy
Tommi Kaartinen; Kai Sormunen; Jukka Rintala (2013) - Case study on sampling, processing and characterization of landfilled municipal solid waste in the view of landfill mining. Journal of Cleaner Production. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.02.036
Tavares Russo, M.A. (2005) - Avaliação dos processos de transformação de resíduos sólidos urbanos em aterro sanitário. Dissertação apresentada na Universidade do Minho para a obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Civil. 298 pp.
Brito, M.G.; Brissos, J.; Sanches, A.; Silva, A.P.; Caetano, P.C. (2016) – “Avaliação das condições de humidificação dos RSU depositados na célula B do Ecoparque do Seixal, Relatório Final”. Technical Report, March 2016, 56 pp. + Annexes (in Portuguese).
APA, (2016) - Resíduos Urbanos – Relatório Anual 2015. Marçal, A. & Teixeira, A.R.; (Ed.) Agencia Portuguesa do Ambiente I.P., Novembro 2016, Amadora, Portugal (Technical Report, in Portuguese)
Tchobanoglous, G., Theisen H., & Vigil, S., (1993): Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles Management Issues, NY: MacGraw-Hill International Editions, Civil Engineering Series. 978 pp. ISBN: 0-07-112865-4
Arigala S.G., Tsotsis T.T., Webster I.A., Yortsos Y.C. Kattapuram J.J., (1995): Gas generation, transport and extraction in landfills. Journal of Environmental Engineering, vol 121, pp 33-44.
Fadel E., M., Findikakis A.N., Leckie J.O., (1996): Numerical modeling of generation and transport of gas and heat in landfills I. Model formulation. Waste Management e Research, vol 14, pp 483-504.
Mc Dougall J.R., Pyrah I.C., (1999): Moisture effects in a biodegradation model for waste refuse. Proceedings Sardinia 99, Seventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, vol I, pp 59-66.
USAC (1995) - Landfill off-gas collection and treatment system. Letter 1110-11160, Deptm. of the Army, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Washington DC, USA
Buivid M.G., Wise D.L., Blanchet M.J., Remedios E.C., Jenkins B.M., Boyd W.F., Pacey J.G., (1981): Fuel gas enhancement by controlled landfilling of municipal solid waste. Ressources and Conservation, vol 6, pp 3-20.
Gurijala K.R., Sufilta J.M., (1993): Environmental factors influencing methanogenesis from refuse in landfill samples. Environ. Science and Technologies, vol 27, pp 1176-1181.
Maciel, F J. (2003) – Estudo da Geração, percolação e emissão de gases no aterro de resíduos sólidos da Muribeca/PE. Dissertação para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Ciências e Engenharia Civil, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brasil; 140p. + Anexos (in Portuguese)
Jokela J.P.Y., Kettunen R.H., Marttinen S.K., Rintala J.A., (1999): Effect of moisture on the methane production and leachate characteristics from source-separated dry waste and aged landfilled waste. Proceedings Sardinia 99, Seventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, vol I, pp 67-74.
Goovaerts, P. (1997) Geostatistics for Natural Resources Evaluation. Oxford University, Press, 1997 - Science, 483 pages. ISBN 13 978-0-19-511538-3.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
