Variation of crack intensity factor in three compacted clay liners exposed to annual cycle of atmospheric conditions with and without geotextile cover

Performance of compacted clay liners commonly used as landfill barrier systems can be subject to decline in terms of hydraulic conductivity if left exposed to atmospheric conditions for an extended period of time prior to placement of overlaying layers. The resulting desiccation cracking can lead to increased hydraulic conductivity. Desiccation crack intensity was studied for three clayey soils commonly used for construction of landfill barrier system in a relatively large scale test setup exposed to real time atmospheric conditions over a complete annual cycle. A white separator geotextile cover was presumed to be capable of reducing the intensity of desiccation cracking through absorbing and maintaining higher amounts of moisture and reducing the temperature of the soil surface in comparison to a directly exposed soil surface. Desiccation cracking was monitored using a digital imaging technique for three compacted clay liners in two sets, one open to air and the second covered with the white geotextile. Crack intensity factor approached a relatively stable phase after certain cycles corresponding to atmospheric dry wet cycles. The results indicated that the white separator geotextile was capable of reducing the crack intensity factor by 37.4–45.9% throughout the experiment including the cyclic phase of desiccation cracking. During the stable phase, the maximum reduction in crack intensity factor of 90.4% as a result of applying geotextile cover was observed for the soil with the lowest plastic index and clay content and therefore the lowest magnitude of crack intensity factor. The other two soils with similar clay content but different plastic index showed 23.6% and 52.2% reductions in crack intensity factor after cyclic phase when covered with geotextile.     

An assessment on the recycling opportunities of wastes emanating from scrap metal processing in Mauritius

This paper presents an assessment on the wastes namely slag, dust, mill scale and sludge resulting from scrap metal processing. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that there are various ways via which scrap metal processing wastes can be reused or recycled in other applications instead of simply diverting them to the landfill. These wastes are briefly described and an overview on the different areas of applications is presented. Based on the results obtained, the waste generation factor developed was 349.3 kg per ton of steel produced and it was reported that slag represents 72% of the total wastes emanating from the iron and steel industry in Mauritius. Finally the suitability of the different treatment and valorisation options in the context of Mauritius is examined.     

Numerical simulation of landfill aeration using computational fluid dynamics

The present study is an application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to the numerical simulation of landfill aeration systems. Specifically, the CFD algorithms provided by the commercial solver ANSYS Fluent 14.0, combined with an in-house source code developed to modify the main solver, were used. The unsaturated multiphase flow of air and liquid phases and the biochemical processes for aerobic biodegradation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste were simulated taking into consideration their temporal and spatial evolution, as well as complex effects, such as oxygen mass transfer across phases, unsaturated flow effects (capillary suction and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity), temperature variations due to biochemical processes and environmental correction factors for the applied kinetics (Monod and 1st order kinetics). The developed model results were compared with literature experimental data. Also, pilot scale simulations and sensitivity analysis were implemented. Moreover, simulation results of a hypothetical single aeration well were shown, while its zone of influence was estimated using both the pressure and oxygen distribution. Finally, a case study was simulated for a hypothetical landfill aeration system. Both a static (steadily positive or negative relative pressure with time) and a hybrid (following a square wave pattern of positive and negative values of relative pressure with time) scenarios for the aeration wells were examined. The results showed that the present model is capable of simulating landfill aeration and the obtained results were in good agreement with corresponding previous experimental and numerical investigations.     

Landfill diversion in a decentralized setting: A dynamic assessment of landfill taxes

We analyze the process of landfill diversion and its main determinants, by embedding the dynamics in a frame where economic, geographical and policy variables come into play. In addition to structural and economic drivers, we primarily investigate whether the Italian tax has been effective in supporting landfill diversion. Although the Italian landfill tax dates back to 1996, the oldest in the EU, its effectiveness in terms of landfill diversion has not been assessed yet. The complexity primarily derives from the decentralized regional implementation and the absence of a full coherent dataset covering all regions. We merge this new and original data on taxes to an integrated dataset which includes economic, waste and policy variables at regional level over the period 1999–2008. Panel regressions show that the effect of tax is significant, even when taking into account for its possible endogeneity. Regions that have increased such taxes have improved waste disposal performances over time. Landfill taxes are surely not the only instrument policy makers might introduce, but they seem to play a relevant role in the evolution of Italian waste disposal performances.     

微波法与电热板消解法前处理对垃圾渗滤液重金属含量测定效果的应用比较

为准确有效地测定南充市垃圾渗滤液中多种重金属的含量,选取最适合垃圾渗滤液重金属测定的消解方法,分别采用电热板和微波消解两种方法对垃圾渗滤液进行了前处理,并测定了其中部分重金属的含量。测定结果表明,采用电热板和微波消解两种前处理方法,均能较为准确地测定垃圾渗滤液中的铜、锌等7种重金属元素,但从样品损失率以及准确度来看,微波消解时样品始终处于密闭体系,损失率低,样品的测定值准确性更高,可信度更强,因此在垃圾渗滤液重金属测定时,采用微波消解作为南充市城市生活垃圾渗滤液的前处理方法更具优势。     

混凝沉淀SBR活性炭过滤处理垃圾渗滤液

采用沉淀-SBR-活性炭过滤复合工艺对城市垃圾渗滤液进行处理，确定混凝、SBR和活性炭过滤的最佳参数。结果表明，当进水CODcr 2500mg／L、氨氮在900mg／L的条件下，经该系统处理后，出水CODcr均在300mg/L以下，氨氮在20mg/L以下。CODcr去除率达90％以上，氨氮去除率达98％以上，达到去除有机物和氨氮的较好效果。     

Options for management of municipal solid waste in New York City: a preliminary comparison of health risks and policy implications

Landfill disposal and waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration remain the two principal options for managing municipal solid waste (MSW). One critical determinant of the acceptability of these options is the different health risks associated with each. In this analysis relying on published data and exposure modeling, we have performed health risk assessments for landfill disposal versus WTE treatment options for the management of New York City's MSW. These are based on the realistic scenario of using a waste transfer station (WTS) in Brooklyn and then transporting the untreated MSW by truck to a landfill in Pennsylvania or using a WTE facility in Brooklyn and then transporting the resultant ash by truck to a landfill in Pennsylvania. The overall results indicate that the individual cancer risks for both options would be considered generally acceptable, although the risk from landfilling is approximately 5 times greater than from WTE treatment; the individual non-cancer health risks for both options would be considered generally unacceptable, although once again the risk from landfilling is approximately 5 times greater than from WTE treatment. If one considers only the population in Brooklyn that would be directly affected by the siting of either a WTS or a WTE facility in their immediate neighborhood, individual cancer and non-cancer health risks for both options would be considered generally acceptable, but risks for the former remain considerably higher than for the latter. These results should be considered preliminary due to several limitations of this study such as: consideration of risks only from inhalation exposures; assumption that only volume and not composition of the waste stream is altered by WTE treatment; reliance on data from the literature rather than actual measurements of the sites considered, assuming comparability of the sites. However, the results of studies such as this, in conjunction with ecological, socioeconomic and equity considerations, should prove useful to environmental managers, regulators, policy makers, community representatives and other stakeholders in making sound and acceptable decisions regarding the optimal handling of MSW.     

Treatment of sewage using an aged-refuse-based bioreactor

The refuse in landfills becomes stabilized or aged after years of placement, and the resultant partly or fully stabilized refuse thus obtained is referred to as "aged refuse" in this work. The aged refuse contains a wide spectrum and large quantity of microorganisms, which have been proved to have a strong decomposition capability for both biodegradable and refractory organic matter present in some wastewaters. In this study, the aged refuse excavated from a 10-year old closed landfill compartment at Shanghai Refuse Landfill was used as the substrate in a bioreactor for the biofiltration of sewage taken from the sewage pipeline systems in Shanghai downtown areas. Typically, 120kg of screened aged refuse with a diameter less than 15mm was used as biofiltration material in a round shaped bioreactor with an inner diameter of 80cm and a height of 150cm. Influent sewage with initial COD, BOD, and NH(3)-N concentrations of 400-500, 240-300, and 45-50mg/L, respectively, was introduced into the bioreactor. The corresponding concentrations in the effluent were reduced to below 80-100, 10-20, and 10-15mg/L, respectively, at a hydraulic load of 1000-1200L/m(3) refuse/day, and the treatment efficiencies decreased with increased hydraulic load. The treatment mechanism was also studied. It was found that the pollutant removal efficiencies dramatically decreased when the aged refuse in the bioreactor was preliminarily disinfected using NaClO solutions, indicating that the pollutants in the sewage were biologically removed. The treatment process developed in this work is cost-effective.     

关于工业危险废物固化与浸出试验的研究

工业危险废物在进行安全填埋前，需进行稳定化／固化处理，以减少毒性。本文主要是通过对几种工业固体废物固化与浸出实验的分析与研究，优化出理想的固化方案和固化工艺参数。     

Factors affecting the concentration of bisphenol A in leachates from solid waste disposal sites and its fate in treatment processes

 The concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) contained in landfill leachates from solid waste disposal sites were measured. The concentrations of BPA contained in leachates from industrial waste sites were in the range below the detection limit to 2800 μg/l, while those from municipal sites were in the range 26–8400 μg/l. The leachates from ash-rich sites contained relatively lower concentrations of BPA compared with organic-rich leachates. It is suggested that BPA concentration increases with time after the completion of reclamation in the case of ash-rich sites, whereas the concentration of BPA decreases with time in the case of organic-rich sites. A 7-year survey on a site in Japan showed neither a decrease nor an increase in the concentration of BPA during on-going reclamation. A leachate from a site in the Philippines contained high concentrations of BPA. A slight positive correlation was found between BPA concentrations and total organic carbon (TOC). A major portion of the BPA in leachates was found in dissolved and organic unassociated fractions, which cannot be precipitated by coagulation. More than 99.9% of the BPA contained in raw leachates was removed by a conventional series of treatment processes consisting of biological treatment, coagulation, sedimentation, sand filtration, and activated carbon adsorption. Received: May 29, 2002 / Accepted: October 17, 2002