Evaluation of in situ leachate management alternatives on municipal solid waste stabilization in sanitary landfills

Abstract

An alternative approach for treating municipal solid waste involves the treatment of the waste after landfilling by addition of moisture to the waste. Increasing attention is being given to municipal solid waste landfill leachate recycle (recirculation) as a means of in situ leachate treatment and landfill stabilization. Using a leachate recycle, a landfill may be operated as a municipal solid waste bioreactor treatment system rather than as a conventional waste dumping site. In order to study the feasibility of an in situ leachate management alternative to provide leachate treatment and waste stabilization two landfill simulating reactors, one with leachate recycle and one without, were constructed and sited in the laboratory's hot room (34°C). Leachate recirculation volume and frequency of recirculation were changed periodically to investigate the effects of different operational moisture regimes on waste stabilization and leachate treatment. Both reactors were filled with municipal solid waste having typical solid waste composition determined in Istanbul. This research showed that the leachate recirculation is a feasible way to treat the leachate in situ, and, therefore, decrease the cost of further external treatment. Leachate recirculation management strategy accelerates the stabilization rate of waste matrix, decreasing time required for stabilization to a matter of months rather than years. Four times per week recirculation strategy was found to provide highest degree of waste stabilization.|Keywords: leachate recirculation, landfill stabilization