Spatio-temporal variation of landfill gas in pilot-scale semi-aerobic and anaerobic landfills over 5 years

Variation of CH₄, CO₂, and O₂ concentrations in layers of different depths in semi-aerobic and anaerobic landfills was analyzed over a period of 5 years. The results showed that most of the municipal solid waste became basically stable after 5 years of landfill disposal. In the upper and middle layer, the concentration of CH₄ in the semi-aerobic landfill was significantly lower than that in the anaerobic landfill in different landfill periods, while in the lower layer, there was little difference in the CH₄ concentration between the semi-aerobic and anaerobic landfills. The average concentration of CH₄ and CO₂ in the anaerobic landfill was always higher than that in the semi-aerobic landfill, while the O₂ concentration showed an opposite variation in different landfill periods. This was related to the aerobic reaction of landfill waste around the perforated pipe in the semi-aerobic landfill, which inhibited effective landfill gas generation.