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Operating Landfills as Bioreactors to Decompose and Stabilize Solid Waste
Timothy Townsend, PhD, PEAssociate Professor
Dept. of Environmental Engineering SciencesUniversity of Florida
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Topics
• Bioreactor landfill fundamentals
• Application to Lined Landfills– Methods– Challenges– Aerobic bioreactors– Case studies in Florida
• Application to Unlined Landfills
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Bioreactor Landfill Fundamentals
Definition
A sanitary landfill operated for the purpose of rapid stabilization of the decomposable organic waste constituents by purposeful control of biological processes
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Bioreactor Landfill Fundamentals
Potential Benefits• Increase disposal capacity• Provides flexibility in leachate
management • Enhances feasibility of landfill gas to
energy projects• May possibly reduce long term costs• Promotes more sustainable waste
management
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Bioreactor Landfill Fundamentals
Methods
• Create conditions for waste degrading organisms to thrive
• Most typically performed by increasing moisture content– Leachate recirculation– Water addition
• The addition of air is being explored
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Traditional LandfillGoal: Keep Liquids Out
Buried Waste(little decomposition)
Cap
Liner and LeachateCollection system
CH4, CO2
Leachate toTreatment Plant
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Bioreactor LandfillGoal: Add Liquids
Buried Waste(rapid decomposition)
Cap
Liner and LeachateCollection System
Leachate toTreatment Plant
CH4, CO2Leachate
Recirculation
Schematic Shows Anaerobic Operation
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Bioreactor LandfillGoal: Rapid Stabilization
Buried Waste(rapid decomposition)
Cap
Liner and LeachateCollection System
Leachate toTreatment Plant
CH4, CO2Leachate
Recirculation
Schematic Shows Anaerobic Operation
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Bioreactor LandfillGoal: Rapid Stabilization
Buried Waste(rapid decomposition)
Cap
Liner and LeachateCollection System
Leachate toTreatment Plant
CH4, CO2Leachate
Recirculation
Schematic Shows Anaerobic Operation
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Bioreactor LandfillGoal: Rapid Stabilization
Buried Waste(rapid decomposition)
Cap
Liner and LeachateCollection System
Leachate toTreatment Plant
CH4, CO2Leachate
Recirculation
Schematic Shows Anaerobic Operation
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0 10 20 30 40
Time (Years)
Gas
P
rod
uct
ion
Bioreactor Landfill
Conventional Landfill
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Application to Lined Landfills
• Conventional practice of this technology in the US is at lined landfills.
• Leachate is recirculated back to the waste.
• Water or other liquids may be added as well.
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Application to Lined Landfills
• Methods of leachate recirculation
– Spray irrigation
– Surface ponding
– Vertical wells
– Horizontal trenches
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Application to Lined Landfills
• Challenges– Getting the moisture to the right place– Waste heterogeneity– Monitoring progress and determining
completion– Collecting gas– Avoiding problems caused by too much
moistures– Slope stability
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Aerobic Bioreactors
• Relatively new technique
• Air is added to the waste
• Aerobic stabilization in much quicker
• Concerns– Fire potential– Explosive gas mixtures– Air emissions– Cost
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Bioreactor Landfill Research in Florida
• Research is being conducted at several sites
• Discussion follows on two particular sites– Alachua County Southwest Landfill– New River Regional Landfill
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Alachua County Southwest Landfill
• Line landfill• Leachate recirculation
started in 1990• Currently closed and
capped. Collected gas is converted to energy
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Early Surface Infiltration Systems
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Early Surface Infiltration Systems
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Early Surface Infiltration Systems
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Early Surface Infiltration Systems
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Horizontal Trenches for Leachate Recirculation
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Horizontal Trenches for Leachate Recirculation
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Samples of Waste Were Collected and
Analyzed
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0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sample Age (years)
Met
han
e Y
ield
(m
3 CH
4/k
gVS
)
LFS1
LFS2
LFS5
LFS 2
LFS 1
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Current Leachate Recirculation:Under the Cap
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Gas is converted to “green” energy
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New River Regional Landfill
• Lined Landfill• Manages waste from
several North Florida Counties (approximately 800 tons per day)
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Bioreactor Features
• Vertical Injection Wells (small diameter cluster wells)
• Half of the landfill currently is set up for air injection if desired
• Exposed Geomembrane Cap• Gas collection from the EGC and the
leachate collection system• Moisture and temperature instrumentation• Segregated leachate collection system
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Top of Landfill
Top of Sand DrainageBlanket
10 ft
Vertical Injection Cluster Wells
Use multiple smalldiameter wells.
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InstrumentedWell Field
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Vertical Injection Well Clusters
Leachate Distribution Manifold
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Vertical Injection Well Clusters
134 wells in 45 clusters
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Vertical Injection Well Clusters
Leachate Distribution Manifold
Air Injection Manifold
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NRRL Gas Extraction System• Gas is collected
from the horizontal trenches underneath the exposed geomembrane cap
Geomembrane Cap
Subsurface Collector
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Deploying Geomembrane
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Deploying Geomembrane
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Candle-Stick Flare
Two Positive Displacement Air Blowers
Three Centrifugal Gas
Extractors
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Resistivity Probe For Moisture Measurements
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- 4- 2024681 01 21 41 61 82 02 22 42 62 83 03 23 43 63 84 04 24 44 64 85 0
High Resistivity(Low Moisture)
Low Resistivity(High Moisture)
North
Surface ofBioreactor
20 feet deep
60 feet deep
40 feet deep
Resistivity distribution inside NRRL Bioreactor, 12/18/02
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Current Status
• Nearly 3 million gallons of leachate has been recirculated
• Extensive research is being conducted on the hydraulics of the landfill, the use of in-situ sensors, gas emissions, and other bioreactor operations issues
• Aerobic technology is being explored
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Application to Unlined Landfills
• Not a common practice
• Offers a potential remediation technique
• Aerobic stabilization has been proposed for older unlined landfills
• Issues:– Hydraulic control– Gas emissions
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For More Information
• Email: [email protected]
• Florida Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
• John Schert: [email protected]• www.bioreactor.org• www.floridacenter.org