Factors Influencing Long-Term Settlement of Municipal Solid Waste in Laboratory Bioreactor Landfill Simulators
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 17, Issue 4
Abstract
Long-term settlement of municipal solid waste (MSW) in bioreactor and conventional landfills is caused by a number of mechanisms. Laboratory tests in bioreactor landfill simulators allow for a careful assessment of each mechanism and of the factors that affect it. A systematic review and synthesis of 98 tests from 29 mesoscale simulator studies available in the literature are presented. Long-term settlement is divided into three phases: the transitional phase, the active biodegradation phase, and the residual phase. Duration, strain, and long-term compression ratio (equal to the ratio of strain to duration) are calculated for each phase. Statistical analysis of the data is conducted. The majority of the long-term settlement occurs during the active biodegradation phase (9.5% strain on average), and the mean compression ratio is 0.168. The other two phases contribute significantly less to the total long-term settlement. The effects of the initial and operational conditions of simulators on the magnitude and rate of long-term settlement of MSW are explored. External vertical stress application prior to long-term testing is found to reduce the amount and rate of long-term settlement. Aeration of waste during long-term testing increases the settlement rate by promoting aerobic biodegradation. MSW long-term settlement is also affected by waste composition, total unit weight, and simulator size.
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Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 17 • Issue 4 • October 2013
Pages: 259 - 271
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© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 14, 2012
Accepted: Oct 10, 2012
Published online: Oct 12, 2012
Discussion open until: Mar 12, 2013
Published in print: Oct 1, 2013
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