Heat Generation in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 11
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate thermal aspects of municipal solid waste landfills as a function of operational conditions and climatic region. Spatial and temporal distributions of waste temperatures were determined at four landfills located in North America (Michigan, New Mexico, Alaska, and British Columbia). Temperatures of wastes at shallow depths (extending to 6 to 8 m depth) and near the edges of a cell (within approximately 20 m) conformed to seasonal temperature variations, whereas steady elevated temperatures (23 to 57°C) with respect to air and ground temperatures were reached at depth and at central locations. Waste temperatures decreased from the elevated levels near the base of landfills, yet remained higher than ground temperatures. Thermal gradients in the range of approximately to with average absolute values typically less than were measured within the wastes. Heat content (HC) of wastes was determined as the difference between measured waste mass temperatures and unheated baseline waste temperatures at equivalent depths. Peak HC values ranged from 12.5 to . The peak HCs were directly correlated with waste placement rates and initial waste temperatures, and they occurred at a specific average precipitation beyond which further precipitation did not contribute to heat generation. HC was determined to conform to exponential growth and decay curve relationships as a function of climatic and operational conditions. Heat generation was determined based on HC using 1D heat transfer analysis. The heat generation values ranged from 23 to without losses and were significantly higher than biochemical prediction models, yet lower than values from incineration analyses. Overall, the highest values for temperatures, gradients, HC, and heat generation were observed in Michigan, followed by British Columbia, Alaska, and New Mexico. Integrated analysis of temperature and gas composition data indicated that temperature increases and HC values were greater during anaerobic decomposition than aerobic decomposition. Sustained high temperatures and heat generation occurred in wastes under anaerobic conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This study has been supported by the National Science Foundation (GOALI grant number CMS-9813248, SGER grant number CMS-0301032, and a 2004 AAAS/NSF WISC grant). The assistance of the partner landfills (Sauk Trail Hills Development, Corralitos Regional Landfill, Anchorage Regional Landfill, and Vancouver Landfill) is greatly appreciated.
References
Attal, A., Akunna, J., Camacho, P., Salmon, P., and Paris, I. (1992). “Anaerobic degradation of municipal wastes in landfill.” Water Sci. Technol. 25(7), 243–253.
Cecchi, F., Pavan, P., Musacco, A., Mata-Alvarez, J., and Vallini, G. (1993). “Digesting the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: Moving from mesophilic (37°C) to thermophilic (55°C) conditions,” Waste Manage. Res., 11, 403–414.
Dach, J., and Jager, J. (1995). “Prediction of gas and temperature with the disposal of pretreated residential waste.” Proc., 5th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen et al., eds., Vol. I, CISA, Italy, 665–677.
Davies, T. W. (2004). “Estimated average gross calorific values.” Univ. of Exeter, Dept. of Engineering, Exeter, U.K. ⟨http://www .ex.ac.uk/~TWDavies/energy_conversion/calorific%20values%20of% 20fuels.htm⟩, November 23, 2004.
Devore, J. L. (2004). Probability and statistics for engineering and the sciences, 6th Ed., Brooks Cole, Pacific Grove, Calif.
DeWalle, F. B., Chian, E. S. K., and Hammerberg, E. (1978). “Gas production from solid waste in landfills.” J. Environ. Eng. Div. (Am. Soc. Civ. Eng.), 104, (EE3), 415–432.
El Fadel, M., Findikakis, A. N., and Leckie, J. O. (1996). “Numerical modelling of generation and transport of gas and heat in sanitary landfills. I: Model formulation.” Waste Manage. Res., 14(5), 483–504.
Farquhar, G. J., and Rovers, F. A. (1973). “Gas production during refuse decomposition.” Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 2(4), 483–495.
Gartung, E., Mullner, B., and Defregger, F. (1999). “Performance of compacted clay liners at the base of municipal landfills: The Bavarian experience.” Proc., 7th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen, et al. eds., Vol. III, CISA, Italy, 31–38.
Gibbs, A. (2004). Gasification as an option for municipal waste, Cardiff Foundation of Environmental Research, Cardiff Univ. School of Engineering, Cardiff, Wales ⟨http://www.cfer.info.⟩ (November 16, 2004).
Hanson, J. L., Edil, T. B., and Yesiller, N. (2000). “Thermal properties of high water contnt materials.” ASTM Special Technical Publication 1374, Geotechnics of high water content materials, T. B. Edil and P. J. Fox, eds., ASTM, West Conshohocken, Pa., 137–151.
Hartz, K. E., Klink, R. E., and Ham, R. K. (1982). “Temperature effects: methane generation from landfill samples.” J. Environ. Eng. Div. (Am. Soc. Civ. Eng.), 108(4), 629–638.
Houi, D., Paul, E., and Couturier, C. (1997). “Heat and mass transfer in landfills and biogas recovery.” Proc., 6th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen et al., eds., Vol. I, CISA, Italy, 101–108.
Koerner, G. (2001). “In situ temperature monitoring of geosynthetics used in a landfill.” Geotechnical Fabrics Rep. 19(4), 12–13.
Lamothe, D., and Edgers, L., (1994). “The effects of environmental parameters on the laboratory compression of refuse.” Proc., 17th Int. Madison Waste Conf., Dept. of Engineering Professional Development, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., 592–604.
Landsberg, H. E., Lippmann, H., Paffen, K. H., and Troll, C. (1966). World maps of climatology, 3rd Ed., E. Rodenwaldt and H. J. Jusatz, eds., Springer, Berlin.
Lefebvre, X., Lanini, S., and Houi, D. (2000). “The role of aerobic activity on refuse temperature rise. I: Landfill experimental study.” Waste Manage. Res., 18(5), 444–452.
Mata-Alvarez, J., and Martinez-Viturtia, A. (1986). “Laboratory simulation of municipal solid waste fermentation with leachate recycle.” J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol., 36(12), 547–556.
Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC. (2004). Climate database. <http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/contents e.html> (November 23, 2004 ).
Mitchell, J. K. (1993). Fundamentals of soil behavior, 2nd Ed., Wiley, New York.
National Climatic Data Center (NCDC. (2004). Climate database. <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/> (June 1, 2004 ).
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL. (1981). “Regional analysis of ground and above-ground climate.” Rep. No. ORNL/Sub-81/40451/1, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Buildings Energy R&D, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Pirt, S. J. (1978). “Aerobic and anaerobic microbial digestion in waste reclamation.” J Appl. Chemistry and Biotechnology., 28, 232–236.
Rees, J. F. (1980a). “Optimisation of methane production and refuse decomposition in landfills by temperature control,” J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol., Society of Chemical Industry, 30(8), 458–465.
Rees, J. F. (1980b). “The fate of carbon compounds in the landfill disposal of organic matter,” J. Chem. Tech. Biotechnol., Society of Chemical Industry, 30(4), 161–175.
Rowe, R. K. (1998). “Geosynthetics and the minimization of contaminant migration through barrier systems beneath solid waste.” Proc., 6th Int. Conf. on Geosynthetics, R. K. Rowe, ed., Vol. I, IFAI, Atlanta, 27–102.
Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE. (2004). “Calorific value of energy resources.” <http://www.energie-schweiz.ch/internet/00735/index.html?lang=en> (November 23, 2004 ).
Tchobanoglous, G., Theisen, H., and Vigil, S. A. (1993). Integrated solid waste management: Engineering principles and management issues, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Townsend, T. G., Miller, W. L., Lee, H. J., and Earle, J. F. K. (1996). “Acceleration of landfill stabilization using leachate recycle.” Wuli Huaxue Xuebao, 122(4), 263–268.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA. (2003). Municipal solid waste in the United States: 2001 facts and figures executive summary, EPA530-S-011, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
Vesilind, P. A. (1997). Introduction to environmental engineering, PWS Publishing, Boston.
Yesiller, N., and Hanson, J. L. (2003). “Analysis of temperatures at a municipal solid waste landfill.” Proc., 9th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen et al., eds., CISA, Italy.
Yoshida, H., and Rowe, R. K. (2003). “Consideration of landfill liner temperature.” Proc., 9th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen et al., eds., CISA, Italy.
Yoshida, H., Tanaka, N., and Hozumi, H. (1997). “Theoretical study on heat transport phenomena in a sanitary landfill,” Proc., 6th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen et al., eds., Vol. I, CISA, Italy 109–120.
Young, A. (1992). “Application of computer modelling to landfill processes.” DoE Rep. No. CWM 039A/92, Dept. of Environment, London.
Zanetti, M. C., Manna, L., and Genon, G. (1997). “Biogas production Evaluation by Means of Thermal Balances.” Proc., 6th Int. Waste Management and Landfill Symp., T. H. Christensen et al., eds., Vol. II, CISA, Italy, 523–531.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 131 • Issue 11 • November 2005
Pages: 1330 - 1344
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 3, 2005
Accepted: Apr 29, 2005
Published online: Nov 1, 2005
Published in print: Nov 2005
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.