Biorrellenos: Perspectivas Tras Dos Décadas De Experiencias en El Mundo

Abstract

Palabras clave: relleno sostenible, pasivo ambiental, recirculación de lixiviados, biogás, biodegradación RESUMENLas palabras biorrelleno, vertedero biorreactor, vertedero sostenible, resuenan con frecuencia en las reuniones técnicas y científicas de "basurólogos" desde hace tiempo. Sin embargo todavía existen muchos mitos en torno a esta técnica que, en algunos lugares, fundamentalmente de Estados Unidos, se lleva practicando durante más de veinte años. Este trabajo presenta una síntesis del estado actual del conocimiento sobre biorrellenos. Inicia revisando la historia de esta técnica, planteada por primera vez en los años 70 y aclarando sus objetivos, que son la degradación acelerada de los residuos municipales (RM), para evitar que sean o se conviertan en pasivos ambientales, así como sus ventajas e inconvenientes. Identificado el parámetro fundamental a controlar, la humedad de los RM, han surgido, según las condiciones de aireación, biorellenos anaeróbicos, semiaeróbicos, aeróbicos e híbridos. Como guía para los nuevos proyectos que se plantean y requieren en Iberoamérica, en este trabajo se reúnen las directrices generales de diseño y operación recomendables para nuevas instalaciones de biorrellenos anaeróbicos y semiaeróbicos, incluyendo los sistemas de recirculación de lixiviados y extracción del gas generado, los cambios principales respecto a la operación de un relleno tradicional y las necesidades de seguimiento. Como ejemplos se describen: una experiencia a escala real que ha servido como referencia innovadora a nivel mundial, un modelo de biorrelleno semiaeróbico aplicable a países de desarrollo intermedio y dos casos representativos del avance en este campo en Iberoamérica. Finalmente se presentan las perspectivas de avance de la técnica mediante investigación y en cuanto a su extensión en Iberoamérica.Key words: sustainable landfill, environmental liability, leachate recirculation, biogas, biodegradation ABSTRACT Concepts like 'bioreactor landfill' or 'sustainable landfill' have been resonating in specialized technical and scientific meetings for a long time. However, there are still many myths surrounding this technique which, in some places, mainly the United States, has been practiced for over twenty years. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge on bioreactor landfills. It begins with a review of the history of this technique, proposed in the 70s for the first time. The objective of bioreactor practices is to accelerate the degradation Rev. Int. Contam. Ambie. 32 (Especial Residuos Sólidos) 91-111, 2016

Biogas utilization from municipal solid waste in developing countries towards the transition to sustainable development – The Colombian case

“…Biogas utilization from landfills (BUL) is a technique initially proposed in the 1970s and has since become a common practice in countries like the United States for around 30 years, and more recently in many European territories [7,10]. However, in Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as other low-and middleincome economies, there are still misconceptions surrounding its implementation.…”

“…However, in Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as other low-and middleincome economies, there are still misconceptions surrounding its implementation. These range from technical and technological ignorance to issues related to education, governance, and the lack of public policies that promote its development [10][11][12].…”

“…Despite the challenges faced by developing countries, numerous studies highlight the economic, energy, social, and environmental potential of BUL, emphasizing its essential role in achieving SD in these regions [7,10,13]. Some include: an environmental and economic analysis to identify the potential and innovations for using municipal solid waste (MSW) as an energy source in African urban areas [14] and in Bangladesh [15]; a large-scale study of biogas generation with multicriteria analysis at technical, economic, institutional, and organizational levels in Bolivia [16]; an evaluation of energy potential based on the population of each region and subsequent economic study in Brazil [8]; projections of methane emissions in 6 sanitary landfills operating between 2015 and 2020 in Malaysia [17]; an evaluation of energy potential from biogas for electricity production in Pakistan [18]; and an economic and environmental assessment of facilities using biogas for energy purposes in Thailand [19].…”

Degradation of Plastics in Simulated Landfill Conditions

“…The need to develop research that realistically predicts the degradability of plastics has been signaled before. Although there were studies focused on the analysis of biodegradation of plastics in anaerobic environments [29], most of them aimed to assess digestion processes [30], which do not represent the conditions found in landfills and dumpsites: long retention times (in the order of decades), lack of aeration and mixing, heterogeneity, varying temperature, and moisture [31]. The goal of our research was to contribute to filling this gap of knowledge.…”