Activities for Today

• Lecture_7 (Landfills): 30 min

• Course Evaluation: 15 min

– Guidance from Academic Office

• Mid-Sem Exam Pattern: 10 min

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Functional elements of a solid waste management system

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 Module C
Solid Waste Management

Lecture-7 Topics

➢ MSW Disposal

❑ Sanitary Landfills

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 Open Dumping

[Link]

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Scientific Closure of Gorai
Dumping Ground

Municipal Corporation of
Greater Mumbai

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 Open Dumping

Processes occurring at a Solid Waste Dumping Site

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 Sanitary/Engineered Landfill
• Landfilling involves the controlled disposal of MSW on or in the upper layer of the
earth’s mantle.

• Important aspects in the implementation of sanitary landfills include:

– Site Selection

– Landfilling methods and operations

– Occurrence and movement of gases and leachates* in landfills

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 Open Dumping vs Sanitary Landfill

Open Dump Landfill

Land site where piles of garbage are accumulated. Land site designed for waste management.

The whole process is carefully monitored, and

No monitoring or treatment, which results in foul
leachate collection and treatment/lining is involved
odor. This attracts rats, rodents, and other pests.
for environmental protection.

Setting up a landfill requires a fixed type of location,

An open dump can be located anywhere, and are
and certain factors need to be considered for
hazardous to the environment.
maximum level of protection.
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 What can/not be Landfilled
Types of MSW suitable for sanitary landfills
• Non-biodegradable and inert waste by nature or through pretreatment

• Commingled waste not found suitable for waste processing

• Pre/post-processing rejects from waste processing sites

• Non-hazardous waste not being processed or recycled

Types of MSW not suitable for Sanitary landfilling:

• Biodegradable waste or garden waste

• Dry recyclables (paper, plastic, metals)

• Hazardous waste or industrial waste

• Construction and demolition waste

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 Site Selection for Sanitary Landfill

Factor Criteria

Site should have a useful life around 20 – 25 years of active

Available land area
life and 10 -15 years of closure/post-closure period.

Haul distance Will have a significant impact on operating costs

Soil conditions and topography Cover material should be available at or near the site

Surface water hydrology Impacts drainage requirements

Geological and hydrogeological conditions Important factor with respect to site preparation

Climatologic conditions Provision must be made for wet-weather operation

Local environmental conditions Noise, odor, dust, vector and aesthetic control requirements

Ultimate use of site Affects long-term management for site

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Sectional View of a Sanitary Landfill

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 Essential Components of a Sanitary Landfill

• A liner system at the base and sides of the sanitary landfill which prevents
migration of leachate or gas to the surrounding soil.

• A leachate collection and control facility which collects and extracts

leachate from within and from the base of the sanitary landfill and then
treats the leachate.

• A gas collection and control facility which collects and extracts gas from
within and from the top of the sanitary landfill for energy recovery.

• A final cover system at the top of the sanitary landfill which enhances
surface drainage, prevents infiltrating water, and supports vegetation.
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 Essential Components of a Sanitary Landfill

• A surface water drainage system to collect and remove all surface runoff.

• An environmental monitoring system which collects/analyses air, surface

water, soil, and groundwater samples around the sanitary landfill site.

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 Processes occurring in a sanitary landfill

(1) Biological decay of organic materials.

(2) Chemical oxidation of waste materials.

(3) Escape of gases from the fill, and movement of liquids.

(4) Dissolving and leaching of organic and inorganic materials by water and
leachate moving through the fill.

(5) Movement of dissolved material by concentration gradients.

(6) Uneven settlement caused by consolidation of materials into voids.

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 Occurrence of Gases in Landfills

• Primary Gases found in landfills: Methane, Carbon dioxide

– CH4 (specific gravity 0.554 at NTP) rises up and accumulates in the

vicinity/enclosed spaces close to a landfill, if vented in an uncontrolled manner.

– CO2 (specific gravity 1.52 at NTP) tends to move towards bottom of the landfill,
and will move through the underlying geologic formation and reaches the
groundwater. This lowers pH, increases hardness of groundwater.

• Minor gases: Ammonia, Carbon monoxide, Hydrogen, Hydrogen sulfide, Nitrogen.

• The rate of decomposition in unmanaged landfills as measured by gas production

reaches a peak within first 2 years and then slowly tapers off, continuing in many
cases for up to 25 years or more.
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Occurrence of Gases in Landfills

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Landfilling Methods and Operations

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 Area Method of Landfilling

• Used when terrain is unsuitable for

excavation (Ground water table near the
surface)

• Filling operation is started by building an

earthen levee against which wastes are
placed in thin layers and compacted.

• Each layer is compacted as the filling

progresses until the thickness of the
compacted wastes reaches ~ 2 -3 m.

• At the end of each day’s operation, a 150 to

300 mm layer of cover material, hauled to the
site is placed over the completed fill. 18
 Area Method of Landfilling

[Link]

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 Trench Method of Landfilling

• Suited to areas where an adequate depth of

cover material is available and the site and
where water table is below the surface.

• A portion of the trench is dug with a bulldozer

and the dirt is stockpiled to form an
embankment behind the first trench.

• Wastes are then placed in the trench, spread

into thin layers and compacted.

• The operation continues until the desired

height is reached.

• Cover material is obtained by excavating an adjacent trench or continuing the trench that
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is being filled.
 Leachate Barrier System

• The landfill must have a leachate barrier system to contain leachate and prevent the
contamination of surface water and groundwater over the life of the landfill.

• The base and walls of the cells should be lined with a durable material of very low
permeability to form a barrier between the waste and the groundwater, soil and substrata.

Geomembrane

Bottom Barrier
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Geotextiles
Landfill Sealants for Control of Gas and Leachate Movement

Classification Representative types Criteria

Most commonly used; layer

Compacted clay Bentonites, illites, kaolinites must be continuous and not
allowed to dry and crack

Polyvinyl chloride, butyl rubber,

Expensive, may be justified
Synthetic membrane liners Hypalon, polyethylene, nylon-
where gas is to be recovered
reinforced liners

Modified asphalt, asphalt- Layer must be thick enough to

Asphalt covered polypropylene fabric, maintain continuity under
asphalt concrete differential settling conditions

Gunite concrete, soil cement,

Others -
plastic soil cement

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Typical Data on Composition of Landfill Leachate

Tchobanoglous, G., H. Theisen, and S. Vigil, "Integrated solid waste management,

engineering principles and management issues", New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1993
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Control of Gas Movement

(a) Cell

Typical methods for

(b) Barrier
venting landfill gases

(c) Well

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[Link]
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 Mid-Sem/End-Sem Pattern for Module C

• Module C has a weightage of 33% towards final grade.

• Homework is 6 marks ; End-Sem exam is for 27 marks

• All questions will be objective type (MCQs).

• No partial credit

• Questions will be a mixture of theoretical and numerical.

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 Mid-Sem/End-Sem Pattern for Module C
Sample Theory Question
The following question consists of two statements (I and II). Examine the two statements and
select the appropriate answer.

Statement I: Direct landfilling is a better option for construction and demolition waste than
salvaging and reusing due to its non-biodegradable nature.

Statement II: Air separators can separate organics and paper products from inorganic wastes,
based on terminal settling velocity.

a) both statement (I) and statement (II) are true

b) both statement (I) and statement (II) are false

c) statement (I) is true, but statement (II) is false

d) statement (I) is false, but statement (II) is true

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 Mid-Sem/End-Sem Pattern for Module C
Sample Numerical Question
The town of South Park is transporting its solid waste (10 tons/week) to the regional landfill at
Denver. The haul time to the landfill site is 1.6 h. The cost of direct haul from South Park to the
landfill site is $100/ton-h. Given that the capital cost of building a transfer station is $25,000, the
capital recovery factor is 0.2 yr-1, and that the annual cost of operating the transfer station is
$20,000, and the cost of hauling with transfer station tractor trailer would be $75/h-ton. What
would you as the “Environmental Consultant” suggest as the best option for South Park City
Council?

(a) Build the transfer station as it costs less than direct hauling

(b) Don’t build the transfer station as it costs more than direct hauling

(c) Both cost the same, so build the transfer station for the future

(d) Can’t be determined based on the above information

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