Changes in Landfill Gas Quality as a Result of Controlled Air Injection

Abstract

Air addition has been proposed as a technique for rapid stabilization of municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills. The objective of this study was to observe the change in concentration of trace constituents of landfill gas in response to air addition. Air injection tests were conducted at a MSW landfill in Florida, and the concentrations of several gaseous constituents at adjacent wells within the waste were measured. The concentrations of methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen, as well as several trace constituents, were measured both prior to and during air addition. The trace components investigated included a suite of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrous oxide (N20), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). A significant increase in CO was observed in 9 of 14 monitoring points; overall, CO concentrations were found to increase as the ratio of CH4 to CO2 decreased. A significant decrease in H2S was observed at 6 of 14 monitoring points. Air injection did not have a noticeable affect on VOC or N2O concentrations compared to initial levels.

In situ nitrogen removal from leachate by bioreactor landfill with limited aeration

“…Berge et al (2006) confirmed that ammonia was greatly reduced when recycled leachate passed through landfilled compost layers with continuous ventilation, with nitrate quantity in the effluent obviously less than the corresponding reduced ammonia, suggesting there were nitrification and denitrification simultaneously in the ventilated layers. Powell et al (2006) also observed the in situ nitrification and denitrification in an aerobic bioreactor landfill, with N 2 O kept low as in an anaerobic landfill.…”

Treatment of landfill waste, leachate and landfill gas: A review

“…The increase in CO was dramatic, raising concerns over the occurrence of incomplete combustion in the waste. There was no evidence of any change of N 2 O and VOCs concentrations [115].…”

Characterization of odorous charge and photochemical reactivity of VOC emissions from a full-scale food waste treatment plant in China

“…In the previous research conducted by Staley et al (2006); Komilis et al (2004), toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were also detected during FW anaerobic or aerobic decomposition. However, these aromatic pollutants were usually considered to be directly volatilized from waste mass (Powell et al, 2005), and the higher the fat content present, the more aromatics will be released (Heikes et al, 1995). Hence, for this FWTP, it is difficult to deduce which factor, between stripping and decomposition from lipid and lignin, mainly affects aromatic hydrocarbons emission.…”