Modeling of Leachate Characteristics and Clogging of Gravel Drainage Mesocosms Permeated with Landfill Leachate
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 7
Abstract
A two-dimensional numerical model, BioClog, is used to estimate the leachate characteristics and leachate-induced clogging of laboratory mesocosms permeated with real municipal solid waste landfill leachate. The model is used to examine mesocosms with 38-mm (nominal diameter) gravel subjected to different durations of leachate permeation, mesocosms run-in series, and mesocosms with 19-mm gravel. A comparison of the calculated and measured leachate concentrations indicates that the model provided reasonable predictions of the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and calcium concentrations. The calculated porosities within the saturated drainage layers are general in encouraging agreement with the measured values from all experimental mesocosms. The calculated and measured hydraulic conductivities are in reasonable agreement. The modeling results indicated that reducing the mass loading for the drainage layers and increasing the particle size of granular media can be expected to extend the time before clogging of drainage layers, and therefore, to extend the service life of landfill leachate collection systems.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The authors are very grateful for the valuable discussions with Dr. Andrew Cooke.
References
Armstrong, M. D. (1998). “Laboratory program to study clogging in a leachate collection system.” Masters thesis, Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Babcock, D. R. P. (2005). “An evaluation of model parameters for clogging of coarse drainage materials in landfill leachate collection systems.” Masters thesis, Queen’s Univ., Kingston, ON, Canada.
Bacas, B. M., Konietzky, H., Berini, J. C., and Sagaseta, C. (2011). “A new constitutive model for textured geomembrane/geotextile interfaces.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 29(2), 137–148.
Bass, J. M. (1986).“Avoiding failure of leachate collection and cap drainage systems.” EPA-600/2-86-058, EPA, Land Pollution Control Division, Hazardous Waste Engineering Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH.
Bennett, P. J., Longstaffe, F. J., and Rowe, R. K. (2000). “The stability of dolomite in landfill leachate collection systems.” Can. Geotech. J., 37(2), 371–378.
Bouchez, T., Munoz, M. L., Vessigaud, S., Bordier, C., Aran, C., and Duquennoi, C. (2003). “Clogging of MSW landfill leachate collection systems: Prediction methods and in situ diagnosis.” Proc., Sardinia 2003, 9th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., CISA, Environmental Sanitary Engineering Centre, Cagliari, Italy (CD-ROM).
Brune, M., Ramke, H. G., Collins, H. J., and Hanert, H. H. (1991). “Incrustation processes in drainage systems of sanitary landfills.” Proc., Sardinia 91, 3rd Int. Landfill Symp., CISA, Environmental Sanitary Engineering Centre, Cagliari, Italy, 999–1035.
Cooke, A. J. (2007). “Modelling of clogging in landfill leachate collection systems.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Cooke, A. J., and Rowe, R. K. (2008a). “2D modelling of clogging in landfill leachate collection systems.” Can. Geotech. J., 45(10), 1393–1409.
Cooke, A. J., and Rowe, R. K. (2008b). “Modelling landfill leachate induced clogging of field-scale test cells (mesocosms).” Can. Geotech. J., 45(11), 1497–1513.
Cooke, A. J., Rowe, R. K., and Rittmann, B. E. (2005a). “Modelling species fate and porous media effects for landfill leachate flow.” Can. Geotech. J., 42(4), 1116–1132.
Cooke, A. J., Rowe, R. K., VanGulck, J. F., and Rittmann, B. E. (2005b). “Application of the BioClog model for landfill leachate clogging of gravel-packed columns.” Can. Geotech. J., 42(6), 1600–1614.
Chappel, M. J., Brachman, R. W. I., Take, W. A., and Rowe, R. K. (2012). “Large-scale quantification of wrinkles in a smooth, black, HDPE geomembrane.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 138(6), 671–679.
Craven, W., Townsend, T. G., Vogel, K., and Laux, S. (1999). “Field investigation of landfill leachate collection system clogging.” Pract. Period. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste Manage., 3(1), 2–9.
Eid, H. T. (2011). “Shear strength of geosynthetic composite systems for design of landfill liner and cover slopes.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 29(3), 335–344.
Fleming, I. R. (1999). “Biogeochemical processes and clogging of landfill leachate collection systems.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Fleming, I. R., and Rowe, R. K. (2004). “Laboratory studies of clogging of landfill leachate collection and drainage systems.” Can. Geotech. J., 41(1), 134–153.
Fleming, I. R., Rowe, R. K., and Cullimore, D. R. (1999). “Field observations of clogging in a landfill leachate collection system.” Can. Geotech. J., 36(4), 685–707.
Fox, P. J., Ross, J. D., Sura, J. M., and Thiel, R. S. (2011). “Geomembrane damage due to static and cyclic shearing over compacted gravelly sand.” Geosynthetics Int., 16(5), 272–279.
Frind, E. O. (1988). “Solution of the advection-dispersion equation with free exit boundary.” Numer. Methods Partial Differ. Equ., 4(4), 301–313.
Gudina, S., and Brachman, R. W. I. (2011). “Geomembrane strains from wrinkle deformations.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 29(2), 181–189.
Istok, J. (1989). Groundwater modeling by the finite element method, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC.
Koerner, G. R., and Koerner, R. M. (1992). “Leachate flow rate behaviour through geotextile and soil filters and possible remediation methods.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 11(4–6), 401–430.
Koerner, G. R., Koerner, R. M., and Martin, P. M. (1993). “Field performance of leachate collection systems and design implications.” Proc., of 31st Annual Int. Solid Waste Exposition, Solid Waste Association of North America, Silver Spring, MD., 365–380.
Koerner, G. R., Koerner, R. M., and Martin, J. P. (1994). “Design of landfill leachate collection filters.” J. Geotech. Eng., 120(10), 1792–1801.
Levine, A. D., Cardoso, A. J., Nayak, B., Rhea, L. R., Dodge, B. M., and Harwood, V. J. (2005). “Assessment of biogeochemical deposits in landfill leachate drainage systems.” Project Final Rep., Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, Gainesville, FL.
Maliva, R. G., et al. (2000). “Unusual calcite stromatolites and pisoids from a landfill leachate collection system.” Geology, 28(10), 931–934.
McBean, E. A., Mosher, F. R., and Rovers, F. A. (1993). “Reliability-based design for leachate collection systems.” Proc. of Sardinia 93, 3rd Int. Landfill Symp., Santa Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy, CISA, Environmental Sanitary Engineering Centre, Cagliari, Italy, 433–441.
McIsaac, R. (2007). “An experimental investigation of clogging in landfill leachate collection systems.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
McIsaac, R., and Rowe, R. K. (2006). “Effect of filter-separators on the clogging of leachate collection systems.” Can. Geotech. J., 43(7), 674–693.
McIsaac, R., and Rowe, R. K. (2007). “Clogging of gravel drainage layers permeated with landfill leachate.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 133(8), 1026–1039.
Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. (1991). Wastewater engineering: Treatment, disposal, and reuse, 3rd Ed., McGraw Hill, New York.
Ontario Regulation. (1998). “Environmental Protection Act Ontario.” Ontario Regulation 232/98, PIBS 3651E, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto.
Padilla, F., Secretan, Y., and Leclerc, M. (1997). “On open boundaries in the finite element approximation of two-dimensional advection-diffusion flows.” Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng., 40(13), 2493–2516.
Pavlostathis, S. G., and Giraldo-Gomez, E. (1991). “Kinestics of anaerobic treatment: A critical review.” Crit. Rev. Environ. Control, 21(5-6), 411–490.
Rayhani, M. T., Rowe, R. K., Brachman, R. W. I., Take, W. A., and Siemens, G. (2011). “Factors affecting GCL hydration under isothermal conditions.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 29(6), 525–533.
Rittman, B. E. (1982). “The effect of shear stress on biofilm loss rate.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 24(2), 501–506.
Rittmann, B. E., and Brunner, C. M. (1984). “The non-steady state biofilm process for advanced organics removal.” J. Water Pollut. Control Fed., 56(7), 874–880.
Rittmann, B. E., and McCarty, P. L. (1981). “Substrate flux into biofilms of any thickness.” J. Environ. Eng., 107(4), 831–849.
Rittmann, B. E., and Snoeyink, V. L. (1984). “Achieving biologically stable drinking water.” J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 76(10), 106–114.
Rowe, R. K. (1998). “From the past to the future of landfill engineering through case histories.” Proc., 4th Int. Conf. on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, Univ. of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO, 145–166.
Rowe, R. K. (2005). “Long-term performance of contaminant barrier systems. 45th Rankine Lecture.” Geotechnique, 55(9), 631–678.
Rowe, R. K. (2011). “Systems engineering the design and operations of municipal solid waste landfills to minimize leakage of contaminants to groundwater.” Geosynthetics Int., 18(6), 391–404.
Rowe, R. K. (2012a). “Short and long-term leakage through composite liners.” Can. Geotech. J., 49(2), 141–169.
Rowe, R. K. (2012b). “Third Indian Geotechnical Society: Ferroco Terzaghi oration design and construction of barrier systems to minimize environmental impacts due to municipal solid waste leachate and gas.” Indian Geotech. J., 42(4), 223–256.
Rowe, R. K., and Babcock, D. (2007). “Modelling the clogging of coarse gravel and tire shreds in column tests.” Can. Geotech. J., 44(11), 1273–1285.
Rowe, R. K., Chappel, M. J., Brachman, R. W. I., and Take, W. A. (2012). “A field study of wrinkles in a geomembrane at a composite liner test site.” Can. Geotech. J., 49(10), 1196–1211.
Rowe, R. K., Quigley, R. M., Brachman, R. W. I., and Booker, J. R. (2004). Barrier systems for waste disposal facilities. Taylor & Francis Books Ltd, London.
Rowe, R. K., VanGulck, J. F., and Millward, S. (2002). “Biologically induced clogging of a granular media permeated with synthetic leachate.” J. Environ. Eng. Sci., 1(2), 135–156.
Taylor, S. W., and Jaffe, P. R. (1990). “Biofilm growth and the related changes in the physical properties of a porous medium, Part 3: Dispersivity and model verification.” Water Resour. Res., 26(9), 2153–2159.
Tien, C., and Ramarao, B. V. (2007). Granular filtration of aerosols and hydrosols, Elsevier, Oxford, U.K.
VanGulck, J. F. (2003). “Biodegradation and clogging in gravel size material.” Ph.D. thesis, Queen’s Univ., Kingston, ON, Canada.
VanGulck, J. F., and Rowe, R. K. (2004a). “Evolution of clog formation with time in columns permeated with synthetic landfill leachate.” J. Contam. Hydrol., 75(1–2), 115–135.
VanGulck, J. F., and Rowe, R. K. (2004b). “Influence of landfill leachate suspended solids on clog (biorock) formation.” Waste Manag., 24(7), 723–738.
VanGulck, J. F., and Rowe, R. K. (2008). “Parameter estimation for modelling clogging of granular medium permeated with leachate.” Can. Geotech. J., 45(6), 812–823.
VanGulck, J. F., Rowe, R. K., Rittmann, B. E., and Cooke, A. J. (2003). “Predicting biogeochemical calcium precipitation in landfill leachate collection systems.” Biodegradation, 14(5), 331–346.
Wilson, E. J. and Geankoplis, C. J. (1966). “Liquid mass transfer at very low Reynolds numbers in packed beds.” Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals, 5(1), 9–14.
Yu, J., and Pinder, K. L. (1994). “Effective diffusivities of volatile fatty acids in methanogenic biofilms.” Bioresour. Technol., 48(2), 155–161.
Yu, Y. (2012). “Modelling MSW leachate characteristics and clogging.” Ph.D. thesis. Dept. of Civil Engineering, Queen's Univ., Kingston ON, Canada.
Yu, Y., and Rowe, R. K. (2012a). “Modelling leachate-induced clogging of porous media.” Can. Geotech. J., 49(8), 877–890.
Yu, Y., and Rowe, R. K. (2012b). “Improved solutions for porosity and specific surface of a uniform porous medium with attached film.” J. Environ. Eng., 138(4), 436–445.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 7 • July 2013
Pages: 1022 - 1034
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 21, 2011
Accepted: Sep 10, 2012
Published online: Sep 12, 2012
Published in print: Jul 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.