Facultative Landfill Bioreactors (FLB): Results of a Pilot-Scale Study

This article presents results for the research conducted by the University of New Orleans in which three pilot-plant scale lysimeters were used in a comparative evaluation of the effect of recirculating treated and untreated leachate on waste stabilization rates. Three lysimeters were filled with waste prepared with identical composition. One was operated as a facultative landfill bioreactor (FLB) with external leachate pre-treatment prior to recirculation; the second was operated as anaerobic landfill bioreactor (ALB) with straight raw leachate recirculation; and the third one was the control unit and operated as a conventional (dry) landfill. A leachate treatment plant composed of an electrocoagulation/settling unit and two fluidized bed reactors (FBRs) in series was used in conjunction with the FLB lysimeter. In this article the results presented by de Abreu (2003) regarding organic matter stabilization, nitrogen management, stabilization phases, gas composition, leachate production, and waste compressibility in the three lysimeters are analyzed, showing that the Facultative Landfill Bioreactor is a promising technology for waste treatment and disposal.