Gas production, composition and emission at a modern disposal site receiving waste with a low-organic content
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Miljovej - Building 113, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark)
- AV Miljo, DK-2650 Hvidovre (Denmark)
- Chalmers University of Technology/FluxSense AB, SE-412 96 Goeteborg (Sweden)
AV Miljo is a modern waste disposal site receiving non-combustible waste with a low-organic content. The objective of the current project was to determine the gas generation, composition, emission, and oxidation in top covers on selected waste cells as well as the total methane (CH{sub 4}) emission from the disposal site. The investigations focused particularly on three waste disposal cells containing shredder waste (cell 1.5.1), mixed industrial waste (cell 2.2.2), and mixed combustible waste (cell 1.3). Laboratory waste incubation experiments as well as gas modeling showed that significant gas generation was occurring in all three cells. Field analysis showed that the gas generated in the cell with mixed combustible waste consisted of mainly CH{sub 4} (70%) and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) (29%) whereas the gas generated within the shredder waste, primarily consisted of CH{sub 4} (27%) and nitrogen (N{sub 2}) (71%), containing no CO{sub 2}. The results indicated that the gas composition in the shredder waste was governed by chemical reactions as well as microbial reactions. CH{sub 4} mass balances from three individual waste cells showed that a significant part (between 15% and 67%) of the CH{sub 4} generated in cell 1.3 and 2.2.2 was emitted through leachate collection wells, as a result of the relatively impermeable covers in place at these two cells preventing vertical migration of the gas. At cell 1.5.1, which is un-covered, the CH{sub 4} emission through the leachate system was low due to the high gas permeability of the shredder waste. Instead the gas was emitted through the waste resulting in some hotspot observations on the shredder surface with higher emission rates. The remaining gas that was not emitted through surfaces or the leachate collection system could potentially be oxidized as the measured oxidation capacity exceeded the potential emission rate. The whole CH{sub 4} emission from the disposal site was found to be 820 {+-} 202 kg CH{sub 4} d{sup -1}. The total emission rate through the leachate collection system at AV Miljo was found to be 211 kg CH{sub 4} d{sup -1}. This showed that approximately 1/4 of the emitted gas was emitted through the leachate collections system making the leachate collection system an important source controlling the overall gas migration from the site. The emission pathway for the remaining part of the gas was more uncertain, but emission from open cells where waste is being disposed of or being excavated for incineration, or from horizontal leachate drainage pipes placed in permeable gravel layers in the bottom of empty cells was likely.
- OSTI ID:
- 21550369
- Journal Information:
- Waste Management, Vol. 31, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2010.10.021; PII: S0956-053X(10)00546-5; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0956-053X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CARBON DIOXIDE
COMBUSTION
DRAINAGE
EMISSION
INCUBATION
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
MASS BALANCE
METHANE
MIGRATION
NITROGEN
PERMEABILITY
PIPES
SIMULATION
SURFACES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE STORAGE
ALKANES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
HYDROCARBONS
MANAGEMENT
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STORAGE
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TUBES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES