NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

TOPIC: SOLID WASTE LANDFILL

(LECTURE 2)

Presenter :DR J. TSHUMA

 Preliminary Determination of Landfill
Requirements
• Site selection

• Estimate of Landfill Space Required

• Estimate of Solid Waste Quantity

• Type of Waste Delivered to Site

• Requirements of State Regulatory Agency

 Siting of landfills
Considerations include:

• Drainage
• Wind
• Distance from collection
• Size
• Rainfall patterns
 Siting of landfills
• Soil type
• Depth of water table
• Treatment of leachate
• Proximity to airports
• Ultimate use
NB
• Refuse is bulky so that volume requirements of
landfills are significant.

• Where land is expensive, the costs of

landfilling may be high.

• Accordingly, various ways to reduce refuse

volume have been found effective:
Volume reduction before disposal
1. Reduction
• Burning of refuse in waste-to-energy facilities
to reduce the volume of waste by a factor of
10 - 20
• Pyrolysis
• Baling whereby solid waste is compressed into
desk-sized blocks that can then be handled
with fork lifts and stacked in the landfill
depression
 Volume reduction before disposal
2. Reuse
• Waste that can be reused instead of disposing
off
• Returnable bottles
• Tyres
• Some scrap metal (design project)
 Volume reduction before disposal
3. Recycle
• Plastic
• Paper
• Scrap cars
• E-waste
• Tins
 Proper Construction of Landfills
• Site clearing

• Stripping and stockpiling topsoil for future use

• Construction of access roads and physical

facilities i.e. office building, maintenance and
storage building, scales, hot load pit with
firefighting equipment, laboratory facility
 Proper Construction of Landfills
• Trench excavation

• Landfill liner and Leachate collection system

installation
 Landfill Liner System
Liners may be constructed of either

• Clay

• Synthetic fabrics (geomembranes)

• Soil-additive mixtures (to reduce permeability)

 Clay Liners
• Constructed by spreading clay in thin layers and
compacting each layer to a predetermined density.

• Relatively inexpensive to install if the clay is within a

reasonable haul distance

• The minimum total thickness of these liners is 2 ft (0.6 m)

• Adequate thickness and compaction needed to meet the

hydraulic conductivity requirement and to inhibit hydraulic
short-circuiting of the entire clay liner layer and prevent
leachate migration
 Synthetic fabrics (geomembranes)

• Are relatively thin sheets of flexible thermoplastic or

thermoset polymeric materials.

• Inherently impermeable

• made of one or more polymers along with a variety of

other ingredients.

• The polymers include a wide range of plastics and

rubbers differing in properties i.e chemical resistance
and basic composition
 Synthetic fabrics (geomembranes)
The polymeric materials may be categorized as follows:

• Thermoplastics, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

• Crystalline thermoplastics, such as high-density
polyethylene (HDPE), very-low-density polyethylene
(VLDPE), and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)
• Thermoplastic elastomers, such as chlorinated
polyethylene (CPE) and chlorosulfonated polyethylene
(CSPE)
 Soil-additive mixtures

• Used where locally available soils do not possess

properties to achieve the specified hydraulic
conductivity
• Bentonite or other clay materials, can decrease
the hydraulic conductivity of the native soil
• Bentonite is a clay mineral (sodium -
montmorillonite) and may be obtained in a dry,
powdered form that is relatively easy to blend
with on-site soils.
 Soil-additive mixtures
• Bentonite expands when mixed with water
(hydration)

• This property allows relatively small amounts

of bentonite (5 to 10%) to be added to a
noncohesive soil (sand) to make it more
cohesive
Leachate collection system
 Leachate collection system
The principal components are :

• A low-permeability base - The bottom liner should have

a minimum slope of 2% for effective gravity drainage
through the entire operating and postclosure period.

• A high-permeability drainage layer - The drainage layer

is constructed of either natural granular materials
(sand and gravel) or synthetic drainage material
(geonet) placed directly on the bottom liner, or on a
protective bedding layer (e.g., geofabric) directly
overlying the liner.
 Leachate collection system
• Perforated leachate collection pipes - The
collection pipes are located within the high-
permeability drainage layer to collect leachate
and carry it rapidly to a sump or collection header
pipe.

• Protective filter layer - If necessary, a filter layer

is placed over the high-permeability drainage
material to prevent physical clogging of the
material by fine-grained material.
 Leachate collection system
• Leachate removal system - Collection sumps or
header pipe system are installed at low points
so leachate can be removed for
holding/treatment.
Example: Double Composite Landfill
Liner System
 Operation of Landfills
To ensure safe daily operation and management
of landfills, Daily and Intermediate Cover is
required
 Daily and Intermediate Cover
• Consists of soil or other approved material
that is placed over the deposited wastes at the
end of each day of operation

• Intermediate cover is soil that was removed

earlier from the landfill excavation and
stockpiled.
 Daily and Intermediate Cover
• Temporary cover controls disease vectors (birds,
insects, or rodents that represent the principal
transmission pathway of a human disease)

• Prevents egress from the waste and prevents

access to breeding environments or food sources

• Covering reduces exposure of combustible

materials to ignition sources and may reduce the
spread of fire if the disposed waste bums.
 Daily and Intermediate Cover
• Odours and blowing litter are reduced by
eliminating the direct contact of wind and
disposed waste.

• Scavenging is reduced by removing the waste

from observation.

• The depth of cover and/or frequency should be

increased to ensure these objectives are satisfied
 Closure of Landfills
• Once full capacity is reached, landfill must be
“closed” in accordance with applicable
regulations
• A constructed “cap” is required
• Primary purpose of the cap is to stop the
formation of leachate by preventing rainwater
or other precipitation from percolating into
the landfilled waste
 Closure of Landfills
The closure cover system should be designed to:

• Minimize infiltration by the use of an infiltration layer

• Minimize erosion of the final cover (top layer) by the

use of an erosion layer

• Control permeability to less than or equal to the

permeability of any bottom liner system or natural
subsoils present
 Closure of Landfills
• Ensure long-term durability and survivability
of cover system

• Ensure long-term waste decomposition and

management of landfill leachate and gases

• Ensure environmental performance of the

combined final cover system and bottom liner
 Closure of landfills
Solid Waste Landfill Closure System Layers
consist of the following layers:

• Erosion Layer - Vegetative covers are

advantageous as they improve the appearance
of the site, control erosion of the final cover
system, and should require only minimal
maintenance.
 Closure of landfills
• Gas Venting Layer - Since landfills are anaerobic
biological reactors, they produce CH4 and CO2.
The lighter-than-air CH4 will rise until it meets an
impermeable barrier. It is then deflected laterally
until an escape is found.
• Infiltration Layer - Earthen material used in the
construction of the infiltration layer should be
free of rocks, debris, and other such material that
may increase the hydraulic conductivity by
promoting preferential flow paths.
Example: Typical Landfill Cover
THE END