'Further E-Learning' Topic: Landfills/Bio-reactor Landfills
Advancement from Lecture 6
Principles, Benefits and Consequences of Landfills
Engineering behind Landfills, Why they Leak &
Capping to Prevent the Exposure to Waste
Can Bioremediation Processes be Used for the Waste in Landfills?
YES...A bioreactor landfill!!!
- This operates to rapidly transform and degrade the organic waste within the landfill.
- Liquid and air is added to enhance microbial processes within the landfill to result in waste degradation and stabilisation.
- A bioreactor landfill can be designed to be aerobic, anaerobic or to function with aerobic-anaerobic treatment sequentially (hybrid):
- Aerobic - Leachate is removed from the bottom layer, piped to liquids storage tanks, and recirculated into the landfill in a controlled manner. Air is injected into the waste mass, using vertical or horizontal wells, to promote aerobic activity and accelerate waste stabilisation.
- Anaerobic - Moisture is added to the waste mass in the form of recirculated leachate and other sources to obtain optimal moisture levels. Biodegradation occurs in the absence of oxygen (anaerobically) and produces landfill gas. Landfill gas, primarily methane, can be captured to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and for energy projects.
- Hybrid (Aerobic-Anaerobic) - The hybrid bioreactor landfill accelerates waste degradation by employing this sequential aerobic-anaerobic treatment. These rapidly degrade organics in the upper sections of the landfill and collect gas from lower sections.
The aerobic process changes the degradation product from methane to carbon dioxide, inhibiting the buildup of explosive landfill gasses. The end product is an inert degraded compost with undegraded metals and plastics.
Environmental Agency Waste Laws
The link below provides information published by the Environment Agency as to our current practices for recycling issues, waste regulations, waste management and many case studies. Further information is provided on contaminated land, bio-waste, composting, land-filling and the waste protocols currently in place.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/position/34157.aspx
One page within the website that might be of much interest discusses mechanical biological treatment of waste from municiple sources.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/position/41227.aspx
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/position/34157.aspx
One page within the website that might be of much interest discusses mechanical biological treatment of waste from municiple sources.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/position/41227.aspx