Active municipal solid waste landfill operation: a biochemical reactor

Landfills remain the most frequently used method of municipal waste (MSW) disposal. Landfills are designed and constructed to prevent contact between the waste and the environment. Modern designs include hydraulic barriers to collect and control liquids. Gas production from MSW landfills also requires collection and control. Landfill management alternatives and options must consider the potential uses of these landfill outputs. Active Landfill Management (ALM), as used herein, includes management of a waste disposal facility to minimize risk to human health and the environment while optimizing landfill volume by promoting decomposition of landfilled waste, reducing the potential health risks by immobilizing constituents in the waste mass, and optimizing the quality and quantity of decompositional gases such as methane. In order to identify design, construction, and operational requirements of ALM, and recognizing the need to avoid duplication of ongoing or past related efforts, the objective of this research is to support studies necessary to initiate a full-scale demonstration of ALM to optimize solid waste stabilization, leachate control, and gas production. The principal investigator, Dr. Debra R. Reinhart, as contracted by the Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research Center, will provide support to a United States Environmental Protection Agency funded project with the above described objective. Selection of full-scale sites for the demonstration of Active Municipal Solid Waste Landfill technology was accomplished. Candidate site nomination forms were distributed in December of 1991. Nine sites were nominated representing a board spectrum of geographical locations, ages, and designs. A ranking system was developed to aid in the site selection. From site ranking, two sites which best fit the needs of the project were identified: the Southwest Landfill in Alachua County, Florida, and the Mill Seat Landfill located in Monroe County, New York. A meeting was held in Albany, New York, on June 9, 1992, and was hosted by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The purpose of this meeting was to provide a forum for the site researchers to present landfill design and operating plans for the two sites and to solicit input from leading experts in the field. The meeting was attended by 24 people.