Evolution of Landfill Technology:
South American Context
Dr. Patrick Hettiaratchi
Department of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, University of Calgary
Chair, Environmental Engineering Division (EED),
Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE)
June 22, 2005
University of San Fransisco De Quito
Quito, Ecuador
Sanitary Landfill Technology
Presentation
What are sanitary landfills?
The evolution from “open dumps” to current
conventional landfills
How technology is used to minimize landfill
problems?
Future of landfilling: bioreactor
landfills/sustainable landfills??
History of Landfilling:
Open Dumping; A way of life…….
Past: was the accepted way of getting rid of our waste…
(until someone showed that it is not a good practice)
But,
But still common practice in
most developing countries!!!!!
Open Dumps
are unsightly ………
…
Open Dump near Bangkok,
Thailand
Scavengers in Quito, Ecuador
Earning a living… Quito, Ecuador
Landfills Produce “Leachate” or “Garbage Juice”
The Problem:
Leachate is an aqueous solution containing high
concentrations of inorganic and organic pollutants
Leachate BOD can be as high as 20,000 mg/L
(compare with domestic sewage BOD of 250 mg/L)
Leachate can cause Surface-water and Groundwater
contamination
Leachate pool…….on surface!!!
Landfill Technological Solutions
In 1980s, we converted Open Dumps to Sanitary
Landfills …..
“Dry-tomb type” Sanitary Landfills are designed and
constructed to eliminate problems with “Open Dumps”
Approaches to control water contamination…
Leachate is “garbage juice” or an aqueous liquid produced
within the landfill
“Dry Tomb” landfills are designed to control Leachate
Leachate can contaminate Groundwater (unseen) or Surface
Escape and Leachate Production
Water (obvious)
Prevention of GW contamination with bottom liner systems
Area A
Area B
Working Face (Area D)
Area C
Stream
X-section along the length
of the landfill
Landfill Construction
Final cover
Daily cover
Intermediate cover
Leave it Alone !!!!!
RIP
Current Practice of Sanitary Landfill
Engineering in South America
Excellent leachate escape control: Extensive use of
geo-membrane liner systems with leachate collection
In-adequate leachate production control: Landfills
are kept open for too long
Issue: Leachate management is mostly by
complex (primary, secondary and tertiary) treatment
systems: High capital and operating costs
Sanitary Landfills in South America:
Leachate Management Alternatives
Build smaller cells (smaller area, but deeper), close
the cell quickly with an “evapo-transpirative” cover.
Result: decrease leachate production with time
Avoid leachate treatment by transporting to a
nearby sewage treatment plant. Since quantities are
small, this is viable and cost effective (not in Quito …..
Combined sewage and leachate treatment in Inga???)
Leachate re-circulation with some storage and pre-
treatment: Viable and cost-effective if properly planned
and managed.
Performance-based Design of Sanitary
Landfills: The Common-sense
Approach ……..
Performance-based Design: Optimal design for a
defined performance of the landfill components.
Example: Leachate management required only if
groundwater contamination is unacceptable.
Sometimes expensive liners may not be required
Inga in Quito,
Dona Juana in Bogota
Loma Los Colorados in Santiago
Performance-based Design of
Landfills: The Common-sense
Approach……
Performance-based design is practiced in:
United States (allowed under Sub-title D landfill
regulations)
Canada (sometimes known as the “natural attenuation
landfill”)
Performance-based Design of
Landfills: The Common-sense
Approach……
Application in South America??
need public acceptance
need expertise for analysis and design
Other Problems with the Dry-tomb
Sanitary Landfillling Approach
Un-sustainable??? Loss of Space…. Need to find new
space every few years (Quito, Toronto, Edmonton)
Long-term liability: Need to monitor potential impact
for a long- time (until waste stability is achieved)
Landfill gas
Landfill Gas; a liability or a resource?
Landfill gas contains CH4 and CO2 (both are
Greenhouse Gases. But, CH4 has a global warming
potential of 23, whereas CO2 has 1).
About 1/4 of anthropogenic CH in United States
4
comes from landfills
Gas can be extracted for energy recovery….
But, in most cases, gas production is low; not
economical to extract gas for energy recovery
Landfill gas can be a major hazard (Zambiza
landfill in Quito, Ecuador)
Zambiza Landfill (Quito, Ecuador)
X-section along the transverse direction
Zambiza Landfill (Quito, Ecuador)
X-section along the transverse direction
A Case for Landfill Gas Extraction
and Energy Recovery
50% of landfill gas is methane
1 tonne of MSW produces 150-200 m3 of methane
based on stoichiometry,
under ideal conditions
over a period of time (time period depends on rate
kinetics)
Landfill Gas is typically extracted using “active systems”
(“passive systems” are used primarily to reduce gas
pressure build up: more wells are needed)
Landfill Gas Extraction and
Energy Recovery
Extraction is feasible in any
landfill:
Typical: vertical well network
Networks are designed using
gas production estimates,
field testing and
theoretical calculations (based on radius of influence)
Or on “as needed” basis; using surface emission data
Active Gas Recovery in Loma Los
Colorados Landfill, Chile, Using a
“Designed Well Network”
Loma Los Colorados; Gas Well Network
18
11
4 5
5
15
22
10 19
12
6
2 16
23
9 20
13
7
1 17
24
8 14 21
56
27
25 29
31
26
28 57
30
Disconnected gas well
Connected gas well 90 metres
A problem with gas extraction
in Loma Los Colorados ……
The “designed” network was not efficient……..
Less than 25% of the gas produced was captured
based on a “methane balance” done in 2001.
Why??
The landfill was not designed for methane recovery
Use of low permeable daily/intermediate
cover material
Experience in Montreal, Canada……
Most wells are installed on “as needed” basis
Use a large number of wells, but gas collection
Efficiency is very high.
Gas wells….everywhere
Well-head in Montreal landfill
Energy Recovery: Is it Feasible??
Gas can be extracted from most landfills,
but sometimes energy recovery may not be
feasible !!!
Reason: Not economical……
In Chile; gas is burned in a Central Incinerator……
CH4 burned= 85 tonnes/year (or 330 m3/d)
In Ecuador; wells are fitted with
flares…. produce toxic compounds
Gas Management: Other Solutions
Find a nearby community or industry to use
the recovered gas directly…
Develop as a CDM project (for Carbon
Credits under Kyoto Protocol)
Another Solution……..
Design for Gas Extraction and Energy Recovery!!
Landfill Bioreactor concept:
Leachate is recirculated as a means of enhancing
rates of reactions within the cell
Controlled recirculation of leachate will
increase moisture, nutrients and
provide a microbial seed for rapid biodegradation
High rates of gas production will
enhance economics of energy recovery
Bioreactor Landfill
Anaerobic Reactor
A Better Solution: Sustainable Landfill
Go two steps further……
After the Anaerobic Bioreactor stage, include:
Aerobic Bioreactor stage (in-ground composter)
Biocell mining stage
Stabilize the waste quickly (Anaerobic and Aerobic)
“Mine” the cell, and extract recyclables & compost
Reuse the space………….
Holistic approach (not “piece-meal”)
Sustainable Landfill
Aerobic Reactor
Sustainable Landfills: Are we there yet???
Not really…..
Although there are some operating Anaerobic
Reactors (and a few Aerobic Reactors) around the
World, no one has tried the sequential operation
(Sustainable Landfill) yet…..
A number of operational problems
needs to be resolved before Sustainable
Landfills can be universally applied.
Problems to Resolve
Moisture Distribution Within the Cell
What We Want…..
What We Get
Leachate Pools:
Created by “over-zealous” Leachate Recirculation
Problems to Resolve
Surface Gas Emissions
Could occur during construction of the biocell (may
take 1 or 2 years to completely fill a cell)
Significant quantities can escape from surface even with
a gas capture system
example: Loma Los Colorados Landfill, Chile
Landfill Bio-Caps or MOLs
CO2
Commercial Emissions CH4 & CO2 Oxidation
Recovery Emissions In landfill cover
(Methanotrophs)
CH4 & CO2
Generation
CH4 & CO2 Lateral
Migration
A new concept
Use a naturally occurring bacteria to convert methane
Biofiltration of CH4
Microbially mediated
oxidation of CH4 is carried
out by methanotrophic
bacteria
(Methylomonas methanica)
CH4 Oxidation in Landfill Caps
100
% Methane Oxidized
80
60
40
20
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Time (days)
Sustainable Landfill Operation
(Calgary Biocell Concept)
Anaerobic Anaerobic
Year 1 Year 2
Mining/
Space Recovery
Anaerobic
Year 6 Year 3
Aerobic Aerobic
Year 5 Year 4
Calgary Sustainable Biocell or LBC
Pilot Project (1 hectare: 50,000 tonnes of waste)
Partners/Participants: City of Calgary,
University of Calgary and Consultants
Mitigation Measures:
Biocap, or Methane Oxidation Layer (MOL),
to control methane gas emissions during
construction and operation
LBC Design …..
LBC Construction
LBC Filling
Monitoring/Sensors for Research and
LBC Operation
• Temperature
• Settlement (plates at 4 levels)
• Loads (pressure transducers/pressure plates)
• Leachate head (piezometers)
• Moisture in waste (TDR)
• Pore pressure measurements
• Leachate characteristics
Monitoring/Sensors; Settlement
Monitoring/Sensors; Layout
LBC Current Status
• First lift is being filled with domestic waste
• In early July, the first intermediate biocover will be
placed
• Sensors are being installed
• Expect to collect settlement data and biocover
performance data, starting mid-July
Conclusions
Waste disposal has progressed from “open dumps” (in the
past) to “dry-tomb sanitary landfills” (present).
Bioreactor Landfills/Sustainable Landfills could be the
future.
Sustainable landfilling follows a holistic approach. Consider
waste as a resource; extract “biogas energy” and compost
and recyclables, and space. It is consistent with the “current
environmental (sustainable development) thinking”
Technical challenges need to be overcome, before
Sustainable Landfill concept could be universally applied.
Thank You!
