MODULE 11

Disposal of Solid Waste

FUNCTIONAL ELEMENT OF MSWM TO BE DISCUSSED

Primary collection

Secondary
collection
 Lecture 34
Leachate Collection and Treatment
THE TWO MOST COMMON PROBLEMS WITH LANDFILL
Leachate
Landfill gases

 Leachate
Organic ismaterials
a liquid such
that forms when
as wet landfill
waste (i.e.,waste breaks
down throughkitchen,
vegetable, biodegradation
yard process and rain
etc.) are water enter in to
usually
waste.
compacted when they are put in to landfill.

 Rain
The water is theis greatest
problem contributor
that, this removes ofoxygen
leachate.
and
causes that material break down anaerobically.
 Chemicals commonly found in leachate include i.e., methane,
 carbon dioxide,
Over time, theorganic
processacids, alcohols,methane:
will produce aldehydesaand more.
type of greenhouse gas which is 28 times more
potent than carbon dioxide.
REACTIONS OCCURRING IN LANDFILLS
TYPICAL PHASES OF LANDFILL GAS AND LEACHATE
FACTORS INFLUENCING LEACHATE GENERATION
 Leachate varies widely depending on-

 Age of the landfill

 Type of waste (composition)

 Environmental conditions

 Factors which influences the generation of leachate-

 Infiltration of ground water

 Infiltration of leachate in to the ground ( a potential pollution of the ground water)

 Rainfall (precipitation)

 Water from the deposited waste, mainly due to biodegradation process

SCHEMATIC SCHEME OF HOW LEACHATE IS GENERATED
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LEACHATE QUALITY
 Refuse composition: Quality variation is higher for putrescible waste than for non- putrescible waste.

 Elapsed time: Leachate quality varies with time. In general overall quality of leachate generated in 1 year will be
less strong than subsequent years.

 Ambient temperature: The ambient temperature affects both bacterial growth and chemical reactions.

 Available moisture: water plays a significant role in biodegradation and subsequent leaching of chemicals out of a
waste.

 Precipitation: The amount of rain falling on landfill influences the leachate quantity significantly.

 Ground water intrusion: Sometimes landfill base construction below the ground water table, may increase
quantity.

 Moisture content of waste: Leachate quantity will increase because of own self weight, the waste releases pore
water when squeezed.
ESTIMATION OF LEACHATE QUANTITY
 The pre-closure and post-closure leachate generation rates in a landfill vary significantly and methods to calculate are
also different.

 An estimation of pre-closure leachate generation rate is needed to determine the following-

 Spacing of the leachate collection pipe at the base of the landfill

 Size of the leachate collection tank

 Design on site/off site plant for treating the leachate.

 An estimation of post-closure leachate generation rate is needed to determine to long term care cost.
where,
1. Pre-closure generation rate
Lv = Pre-closure leachate volume
Calculation of pre-closure leachate generation rate-
S = Volume of pore squeeze liquid

Lv=P+S-E-AW P = Volume of precipitation

E = Volume lost through evaporation
AW = Volume lost through absorption in waste
 2. Post-closure generation rate-

• After the construction of the final cover only the rain water that can infiltrate in to the waste and generates leachate.

• Five approaches are available to predict the long-term leachate generation rate-

 Water balance method

 Computer modeling in conjunction with water balance method

 Empirical equation

 Mathematical modeling

 Direct infiltration measurements

 Water balance method

Lv=P-ET-R-ΔS

where,

Lv= Postclosure leachate volume

P = Volume of precipitation

ET = Volume lost through evapotranspiration

R = Volume of surface runoff

ΔS = Volume of soil and waste moisture storage

Water balance method is applicable only for landfills-

• High permeable layer of soil is used as final cover

• Low permeable layer of soil.

TYPICAL LEACHATE CHARACTERISTICS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
Parameters Range of Concentration (mg/L
except as indicated)

pH 3.7-8.9 units

Electrical conductivity 480-72500 μS/cm

BOD ND- 1,95,000

COD 6.6-99,000

Iron ND- 4,000

Potassium ND-3,200

Magnesium 4.0-780

*ND-Not detected
TYPICAL LEACHATE CHARACTERISTICS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

Parameters Range of Concentration (mg/L

except as indicated)

Ammonia-Nitrogen ND- 1,200

Sulfate ND-1,850

Aluminum ND-85

Zinc ND-400

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) ND-40,000

Lead ND-14.2

Chromium ND-5.6

*ND-Not detected
LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM (LCS)
In a typical design the leachate collection system is a combination of-

• Main drain

• Side drain

• Perimeter drain

• Drain and protective layer

• Leachate wells-typically with pumps

Leachate problems:

 Clog up with silt or mud and growth of microorganisms in the pipes

 Chemical reaction leading to precipitation of minerals in the pipes

 The pipes become weakened by chemical attack (acids, solvents and oxidizing agents)
ROLE OF LCS COMPONENTS
 Barrier layer: a very low-permeability synthetic or natural soil liner to restrict and control the rate of vertical
downward flow of liquids.

 Drainage layer: a high permeability gravel drainage layer to laterally drain the liquid to the collector drain pipes; at
least 30 cm thick with a min. K of 10-3 cm/sec.

 Slope: to encourage lateral migration; min. 2% bottom final slope after long-term settling.

 French drains and tiles: maximize the amount of leachate diverted to, and collected by the tile drains; sub angular
gravel with UC < 4 and max.  of 2 in.; two or more rows of holes at the 2 and 10 o’clock positions; min. slope of
0.5% and min.  of 6 in.

 Filter layer: granular or synthetic, used above the drainage layer to reduce the potential for migration of fines into the
drainage layer.

 Fine soil or refuse: K of 10-4 cm/sec; 2 ft (0.7 m) thick layer to cushion the engineered system against damage and act
as a filter.
 LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM
Clay berm First cell to be developed
Slotted leachate collection pipe

Leachate collection line

Slotted pipe connected to
leachate removal system
Stormwater collection line

Solid waste Clay berm (2 ft) Sand layer

.
Geomembrane Clay liner (3 ft) Slotted leachate collection pipe
LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM

A video showing landfill leachate collection in Mesa

County, Colorado, USA

Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=vsungEm1Nnw
 OUTLINE OF LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM

Refuse
Drainage tile Drainage layer

Low permeability Undisturbed

barrier native material

Simple collection system

Refuse
Drainage tile
Drainage layer

Low permeability
barrier Undisturbed
native material

Double liner system

 SCHEMATIC OF VARIOUS LEACHATE DISCHARGE PATHWAYS
Infiltration

Optional toe drain

Toe seepage
Leachate seep through face

Leachate collection tiles

Toe seepage
Leachate to groundwater
LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM WITH GRADED TERRACES
Sloped intercepting
Leachate leachate collection pipe Sloped terraces
collection pipe
(see detail below)

Leachate Liner
movement
Protective soil layer
Perforated leachate collection pipe

Geotextile filter fabric

Sand drainage layer

Geomembrane liner
Geotextile filter fabric
Extra geomembrane (optional)
Washed gravel
(1½~2 in.) Compacted clay layer
LEACHATE SEEP REMEDIATION

Landfill cover

Granular toe-drainage collection

Refuse

Peripheral toe-drainage collection

COMPONENTS OF LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM
French drain
Refuse
Tile drain
Drainage layer
Low permeable
liner

Undisturbed
native material

 Permeability (K) of drainage layer: min. 10-3 cm/sec; 10-2 desirable

 Drainage layer gravel should be washed to remove fines; no limestone-based aggregate

 French drain: used in the event of pipe failure or clogging; gravel pack
 Additional containment and/or leak detection system
SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF CLEAN-OUT SYSTEM
Access manhole
Final grade

Refuse

Drainage blanket

Solid pipe

Perforated pipe
STORM WATER MANAGEMENT IN AREA TYPE LANDFILL
LEACHATE PONDS OR LAGOONS
• Lined leachate pond or lagoons are commonly used at landfill sites.

• The double liner is used at the bottom of the liner as a barrier layer with a leak detector might be employed.

• Aerators are provided as initial leachate treatment to reduce odor issues.

Leachate Ponds
LEACHATE STORAGE TANKS
• Leachate storage tanks or structural basins, with primary construction materials including steel, fiber glass and
concrete.
• Storage tanks are remain open to the atmosphere and often include manifold diffuses of air addition.

Fiber glass leachate storage tank Glass lined steel leachate storage tank
 LEACHATE CONTROL
• The best way to control leachate in landfills are strict storm water and runoff water, proper segregation of wet and
dry waste and aerobic landfill technology.
• To restrict the storm and runoff water, use proper liner system.
• Sorting into waste categories like wet (food ,vegetables) and dry waste (plastic, paper, wood etc..), leads to reduce
leachate generation from the landfills.

Wet waste

Composting

RECYCLE PLANT Solid Inert material

 DESIGN OF LANDFILL LINERS
Liner is used as a control for leachate
Landfill
 Geotextile: Thin synthetic material used to minimize the liner
intermixing of the soil and sand or gravel layers.

 Geonet: Together with geotextile the drainage layer to

convey leachate to the leachate collection system.

 Geomembrane: Synthetic material which serves as an

impervious barrier to the movement of leachate and landfill
gas.

 Clay liners may crack due to desiccation and it needs to be

ensured that clay doesn’t dry out as it is being placed.
HDPE landfill
liner
 LEACHATE TREATMENT: PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES
Reverse Osmosis

 In contrast to the biological treatment, it is a separation

process with two streams - one low polluted permeate
stream and one high polluted concentrate stream.

 Biological pretreatment is necessary – e.g. Leachate

recirculation.

 In many cases the separation of ammonium is poor which

could be improved by chemical addition to adjust pH or by
a two-step reverse osmosis.
Flocculation/ Precipitation
• Flocculation/Precipitation within leachate treatment, is mainly done to reduce the organic load (humic acids and
halogenated organic constituents characterized by the parameters COD and AOX) of the leachate after the biological
treatment.
• Inspite of being cheap, this technology is not used frequently because of the addition of chloride and sulfate into the
leachate effluent.
Evaporation and Drying

• These techniques are a separation in a clean

water stream and a solid phase which includes all
pollution material.

• Normally, the solids are pulpy and the condensate

vapors contain volatile components.

• The predominant components in effluent of

evaporation plants are volatile, sometimes
chlorinated organics and ammonium with the
necessity of additional treatment steps.

Leachate evaporation pond

LEACHATE TREATMENT: AEROBIC BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
Aerated Lagoons
• A simple leachate treatment system.

• Retention time of the leachate is long enough so that as many bacteria can develop per unit time as the number of
species that are transported out of the lagoon with the effluent.

• The maintenance and operation costs are relatively low.

Aerated Lagoons
Activated sludge systems

 The detention time in activated sludge plants are

shorter than in aerated lagoons because the sludge
content (amount of bacteria) can be controlled to
a certain degree and is several times higher than
in aerated lagoons.

 Detention time is reduced by installing a settling

tank behind the aeration tank and recirculating the
sludge back into the activated sludge tank with a
certain amount of sludge removed out of the
system.
Rotating biological contactors (RBC) and trickling filters
 These processes differ from the activated sludge process in a way that the bacteria are attracted to material of rotating
contactors.
 The air supply takes place naturally.
 Consume low amount of energy.
 Temperature effects are lower at RBC's, because they are normally covered.

Rotating biological contactors Trickling filters

LEACHATE TREATMENT: ANAEROBIC BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT

 Low energy requirement, because no oxygen

has to be supplied. Technical anaerobic

processes need adequate temperatures and

have to be designed right. e.g., Digesters such

as UASB (Based on suspended growth

system)

 Anaerobic Filter and Hybrid bed filter (Based

on attached growth processes)

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)

INTEGRATED TREATMENT SYSTEM
ASPECTS FOR LEACHATE TREATMENT PLANT

 Limiting concentrations

 Low demand of resources

 Low demand of energy

 Low generation of residues, especially hazardous wastes

 Low environmental impact

 Economical efficient operation

ADVANCED LEACHATE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBR)

 Based on the use of suspended polymer (plastic) carriers

which continuously move inside the aerobic tank and
active biomass grows on its surface.

 Microorganisms stuck to the bed without being washed

with the flow increasing the concentration of
microorganisms in the system.

 Advantages:

 High concentration of biomass, low sludge

 Settling time, less sensitive to toxic substances,

removal of organic substances, and ammonia in a
single process.
 Membrane Bioreactor
 Combination of biological and physical process.

 In the membrane bioreactor process, aerobic bioreactor unit, through supplying oxygen leads to COD oxidation and
nitrification and anoxic unit in the absence of oxygen leads to denitrification.

 High sludge retention time (SRT) leads to the growth of nitrifying bacteria that has significant influence on the
nitrification process.

 Advantages:

 Less sludge production

 Effluent of high quality

 High concentration of nitrifying bacteria

 Disadvantages :

 High initial investment and running costs (due to the short lifespan of membranes and also their need for
maintenance and cleaning).
Membrane bioreactor process

Membrane bioreactors
CURRENT PRACTICES IN LANDFILL TECHNOLOGY
Bioreactor technologies: A next generation landfills

 A bioreactor landfill operates to rapidly transform

and degrade organic waste.

 The increase in waste degradation and

stabilization through liquid addition and air or
enhance microbial process.

Types of bioreactors landfills-

1. Aerobic

 In a aerobic bioreactor landfill, leachate is removed

from the bottom and re-circulated in to the landfill
in a controlled manner. Photographic representation of an aerobic bioreactor
 Air injection in to the waste mass using vertical or
horizontal wells to enhance aerobic activity.
 2. Anaerobic:
 In an anaerobic bioreactor landfill, moisture is added to the waste mass in the form of re-circulated leachate.

 Biodegradation occurs in the absence of oxygen (anaerobically) and produces landfill gas.

 Landfill gas - primarily methane - can be captured to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and can be used for energy
projects.

Photographic representation
of an anaerobic bioreactor
 3. Hybrid (Aerobic-Anaerobic)

 The hybrid bioreactor landfill accelerates waste

degradation by employing a sequential aerobic-anaerobic
treatment to rapidly degrade organics in the upper sections
of the landfill and collect gas from lower sections.

 Operation as a hybrid results in the earlier onset of

methanogenesis compared to aerobic landfills.

 By incorporating nitrogen cycle control, the ammonia can

be partially treated to create “nitrated” leachate, which is
leachate treated to convert ammonia to nitrate.
Photographic representation of a hybrid bioreactor
 The nitrated leachate serves as an electron donor, much
the same way oxygen or air would in an aerobic landfill.
 UNIQUE FEATURES OF BIOREACTOR LANDFILL
 At a minimum leachate is injected into the bioreactor to
stimulate the natural biodegradation process.

 Bioreactors often need other liquids such as storm water,

wastewater, and wastewater treatment plant sludge to
supplement leachate.

 Moisture content is the single most important factor that

promotes the accelerated decomposition- approx. 35 to 65 %
optimal moisture content should be maintained.

 The effect of the bioreactor is that it produces landfill gas Burlington County bioreactor landfill in
New Jersey, USA
(LFG) like methane in an anaerobic unit at an earlier stage in
the landfill’s life at an overall much higher rate of generation
than traditional landfills.
THANK YOU